Teen Madness
by Divineoverseer
Summary: Stiles is human again and Scott thinks his friend should be happy but he's not. He's suffering insomnia, having memory blanks; he's going mad. When terrible things start happening, it seems that he is at the center of it. Scott tries to save him but there are forces working against him to end Stiles once and for all. Sequel to Teen Ascendants.
1. Anchors

Chapter 1: Anchors

Stiles was tossing and turning in his bed that night. Sweat was dampening his brow as his breathing heightened.

"Don't…no. Don't let them in. Don't let them in."

Stiles had been mumbling similar lines all night but still kept his eyes closed. Until he finally took a deep breath and opened them. He looked up and found himself staring into some spots of light, but saw that it wasn't from the moon shining from his window. He wasn't even in his bed. He saw that he was now in some kind of small space. He then moved and pushed on the door keeping him in until it broke open and he stepped out to realize that he had been in a locker. A school locker at the locker room. He saw that the place was pitch black with very little light for him to see. But there was enough for him to look over and see himself being reflected in one of the mirrors above the sinks.

He left the locker room and began to move down the halls. He wondered what the heck he was doing there. Did he sleep walk there? Or…did something inside him force him to come here? He looked down at his right hand and tried to extend his claws but saw that his hands were still normal after three attempts. He took a deep breath as he realized, with a heavy heart, that he wasn't back to normal. He hadn't got his powers back. Ever since the night of the lunar eclipse, Stiles had somehow lost his powers and wasn't a werewolf anymore. He thought…hoped that it was a temporary side effect of being a sacrifice for the Nemeton and would get his powers back eventually, but every passing day chipped that idea away bit by bit.

But then, what was he doing there? He then saw that there was one classroom door wide open. He walked over and took a look inside and his eyes widened. There, in the center of the room was an all too familiar tree stump. The Nemeton. Stiles moved over and went to touch it when earthy vines shot up and latched onto his wrist. Stiles frantically pulled, as hard as he could, trying to free himself. He threw his body back and yanked with everything he had when the vines snapped and he fell backwards. He looked up and realized that he wasn't in the classroom anymore, but the woods. The Nemeton was still in front of him but they weren't in the same place. Stiles was panting hard but stopped when a certain growl was heard off to the side. Stiles slowly turned over to see that a pair of bright golden eyes were shining through the darkness. Soon, the full moon began to shine its light through the trees and lightly illuminated what appeared to be a giant dark haired wolf. It was over half his size and was looking straight at him but didn't seem threatening. It was just lightly staring at him as Stiles stared back. Stiles felt calm as he stared at the wolf. Calmer than he felt for a good while. But then the animal narrowed its eyes and showed its teeth as it began letting a low, angry growl seep between its closed jaws. Stiles then felt a chill hit his back. He turned around and saw that there was something behind him. Another figure in the shadows and it was slowly making its way to him. He couldn't see what it was but he could make out the slight glimmer of silver colored fangs. Stiles then saw that he was right in between both of these figures. The wolf suddenly broke into a run while the one in front let out a hard snarl and ran for him as well. Stiles gasped as he frantically looked between the two as they charged for him. The dark figure was reaching out with what looked like a gauze covered hand and looked like it was going to grab him. Stiles turned and saw as the wolf jumped into a pounce, growling above him.

Stiles then gasped as he rose and sat up in his bed. He was back in his room. He had been dreaming.

"Are you okay? Stiles?"

Stiles looked to the side and saw that Lydia was rising up too. He nodded. "Yeah, I was just dreaming, within a dream."

"You mean a nightmare?" she gently asked.

"Yeah," he said as he firmly took her hand with his own as he tried to settle himself down. But after a few seconds Stiles narrowed his eyes. He then looked up at Lydia's soft and calming face. "Wait a sec, Lydia, what are you doing here?"

But before Lydia could answer that, there was a creaking sound. They looked over to see that Stiles' door had blown open a bit. Stiles began to move off the bed but Lydia pulled on him.

"Stiles, where are you going?"

"I'm just going to close the door," he said as he stared at it.

Lydia kept pulling on his arm. "Just go back to sleep."

But he shook his head. "No, I should close it."

"Don't worry about it," Lydia cried to him in a more hurried tone. "Just go back to sleep."

Stiles went and freed himself from her grip. "What if someone comes in?"

"Like who?" Stiles didn't answer her. He slowly moved for the door as Lydia kept insisting for him to get back to bed.

But Stiles kept walking forward with his eyes on the door and the darkness on the other side. "What if they get in?" he muttered.

He moved for the door and had his hand on the doorknob. He was going to close it but noticed that there were claw marks on the molding that seemed to disappear into the darkness. At that, he pulled the door more open. Lydia then began to frantically tell him to just close the door. To not go in but Stiles stepped in. Instead of finding himself in the hallway of his home, he was outside. The Nemeton was before him. Suddenly, bright lights flickered on and he realized that he was out on the lacrosse field. There was suddenly a large roar and Stiles looked to the side to see the giant wolf from before. It was running for him and barking at him in a frenzy. But in the middle of its run, earthy vines spewed from the ground underneath it and grabbed at the wolf. Wrapped around its paws, its side and even its jaws like a muzzle. But the glow of its golden eyes stayed locked on Stiles before they turned to look down. Stiles looked down to see the dark shadow of himself in front of him being cast on the ground from the spotlights. It didn't look like a normal shadow. It was like it was now a dark fog instead of a dark spot on the ground. Then a gauze covered hand started to appear from the center of it, pointing in his direction.

He gasped in fright and then started to shake his head. "This is just a dream. It's just a dream, it's all in your head. It's all in your head Stiles. You're dreaming, so wake up Stiles!" he shouted to he watched the hand struggle to further pull itself free. It was like something was trying to dig its way out of its own grave. The sight really started to make Stiles freak out. He also heard hard growling as the wolf struggled to pull itself free from the vines, it's golden eyes burning bright at him. "You have to wake up Stiles!" he almost cried as there was now an arm attached to the hand, pulling away from his own shadow, reaching for him. It was trying to grab at his ankle. "Wake up!"

Stiles then found himself back on his bed, opening; his eyes as he looked at the sunlight shining on him from his window. His door fully flung open as his father stepped in.

"Time to wake up Stiles. C'mon, get your butt to school."

His father then left leaving Stiles taking a deep breath as he then forced himself out of bed. He found himself driving into the familiar parking lot of Beacon Hills High School and found Scott already there, locking in his bike. After parking his jeep, Stiles went to him and immediately flew into a hurried detail of his nightmare with him. They walked while he talked.

"And you couldn't wake up at all?" he asked when Stiles finished describing it.

Stiles shook his head. "It was beyond terrifying. You ever hear of sleep paralysis?"

"Uh, no. Do I want to?"

"Do you ever have a dream where you feel like you're about to wake up but you can't move or talk?"

Scott nodded a bit. "Yeah, yeah I've had that."

"That's because during REM sleep your body is basically paralyzed. It's called Muscle Atonement. That way if you're dreaming about running, you don't actually start running in your bed."

Scott nodded. "That makes sense."

"Well, sometimes your mind can wake up before your body does. So, for a split second, you're aware that your body is paralyzed."

"And that's the terrifying part?"

"Turns your dream into a nightmare. You could feel like you're falling. Feel like you're being strangled, or in my case you're in a grove where at the center there's a tree where human sacrifices took place."

They managed to get to the front doors of the school and pushed the doors so they could get in.

"You think it means something?" Scott asked him.

"Well, what if what we did that night, what if its still affecting us?" ' _Not like I need more things affecting me_ ,' Stiles thought heatedly.

"You mean like Post Traumatic Stress?"

"Yeah," he said before they turned and entered their classroom and went to their seats. "You want to know the worse part?" he whispered to Scott. "I'm not even sure this is real."

He then heard loud footsteps coming up to them and heard their owner call his name. "Stiles." It was their teacher.

He went to look up to face him but instead of their teacher, it was a shadowy shape and it was reaching out for him with a dirtied gauze covered hand.

Stiles then found himself screaming as hard as he could while he was frantically thrashing about in his bed. His bedroom door then flew open as his father ran on in and quickly embraced him. His dad held him tightly as he calmed down and realized that he was safely with his dad. Stiles then calmed and slowed his breathing as some tears freely flew from the sides of his eyes.

* * *

Scott got up and began to get everything ready so that he could start to head for school. He checked to see if he had everything and then moved to leave his room but he froze. His shadow was cast on the door and he looked down at his left hand to see that it was sporting claws. However, Scott looked down at his actual hand to see that it was completely normal, but the shadow still had claws on it. He then closed his hand and then slowly opened it to see that it was now normal. Scott felt the pressure right in his throat as he wondered what that was about. He then shook himself free and went to open his door when he stopped as Isaac was standing on the other side of it.

"Hey," he said a bit happily to him.

"Hey," Scott said back still a little shaken up.

"Are you going to school?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah?" Scott a little confused.

Isaac nodded. "Okay, me too."

"Good," Scott said to him. He wondered why Isaac was trying to make silly and obvious conversation with him.

Isaac nodded again but he wasn't moving from the doorway. He then looked down at his feet before he cleared his throat. "Can I ask you a question?"

Scott still was at a loss for why Isaac was acting this way with him but just nodded anyway. "Okay."

"Are you angry with me?" asked Isaac with a tense look in his eye.

Scott could feel the apprehension and fear pour out of Isaac after asking that. Now he understood. Isaac was trying to find out if Scott was mad at him about Allison. It seemed that the two of them seemed to be forming a connection; starting from when Isaac had been Allison's tether for the sacrifice. Lately, Isaac had been spending more and more time with Allison. They were starting to go off and do things like study together or sit together at lunch. They were spending time together in the way that he and Allison had wanted but never really got the chance to when that whole business with Gerard started. It was clear to Scott that something more than a simple connection was forming between them.

"No," Scott said, quickly shaking his head.

But the apprehension was still on Isaac's face. "Are you sure?"

"No," Scott said again.

Isaac's eyes fell a bit. "What, what does that mean?"

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "It means, that I don't really know what I'm feeling."

Isaac nodded. "Okay…do you hate me?" he then quickly asked.

"No, of course not," Scott said quickly back to him.

"Do you want hit me?"

Scott just stared at him. "No," he told him.

"I think you should hit me," Isaac insisted.

Scott then let a small laugh out. "I don't want to hit you."

Isaac's eyes rose a bit. "Are you sure?"

Scott's smiled widened. "Why would I want to hit you? You didn't do anything, did you?"

Isaac shook his head. "No. No we…wait, what do you mean?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I mean like, you didn't kiss her or anything, right?"

Isaac quickly shook his head. "No. No, absolutely not."

Scott's smile fell a bit though. "Did you want to?"

Isaac actually brightened up a bit. "Oh, yeah, totally."

Isaac then saw Scott's face fall noticeably more and he then realized what he just said. A second later, he was flying out the door and his back collided with the hallway wall knocking down a picture hanging nearby. The noise drew in Scott's mother Melissa.

"Hey," she said drawing in Isaac's attention. "You two supernatural teenage boys, don't test my un-supernatural level of patience." She pointed at Isaac sternly before she left them to it.

Isaac then looked back at Scott and seemed to relax himself. "Do you feel better?" he asked him.

* * *

Stiles went and started to get himself ready for school, again. Stiles was starting to have half a mind to not bother with trying to move as fast and ordered as he usually did in case it turned out that he was still in bed. He was running through a list of everything he was taking when he went to grab his American History textbook and froze. The words on the cover didn't make any bit of sense. It looked foreign, no, not even that. It was all complete gibberish.

"Hey." Stiles turned around and saw his father in the doorway. "You alright?" he asked him. Stiles then looked back at the book in his hand and saw that the cover made sense again as it was a book about World War II. He then tossed the book in his bag. "You ready for school?" his father asked him.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." But his father just kept staring at him with that same concerned look in his eyes. "Dad, seriously, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."

"Stiles, you know you can talk to me, right? Look…I know I'm new to…all of this and I can't even begin to understand what's happened to you, but, I am here. Okay?"

Stiles inhaled deeply. A part of him was grateful for his dad saying that. But, Stiles knew that his father couldn't help him. Nobody could help him. He brought his gaze down and finally noticed that his father was carrying a box in his hand.

"What you got there?" he asked taking the attention off his current issue.

His dad looked down at it. "Oh, it's just some boring files. Nothing major."

But Stiles pointed to the side of the box. "It says: Sheriff's Station, Do Not Remove."

"Well, unless you're the Sheriff," his dad smiled mischievously at him. A smile that Stiles somewhat returned. "Get your butt to school."

Even though Stiles couldn't smell moods anymore, he still felt his father was hiding something.

* * *

Allison got up and couldn't believe that she missed her alarm. She was going to be late for school. She quickly got dressed, skipping breakfast as she got her bag and hurried off to the front door.

"Gotta run dad, I'm late!" she called out just before she closed the door behind her.

She then got into the elevator and pushed the button for the Lobby and just waited until it could drop her off. Allison then started to rub her shoulders as she felt a small chill for a minute before the lights flickered just as the elevator got to her stop. She then stepped out but found herself in the hospital. But the hospital looked wrecked. The lights were mostly out, there was trash everywhere and not a soul was in sight. Allison walked on down the halls until she came to the morgue. She stepped inside but the doors slammed shut behind her. Just as she ran to try to open them, one of the cadaver doors sprang open. Allison slowly made her way to it and read the label on the door. It read Kate Argent. At that, Allison felt a rush of memories of her Aunt Kate. Memories of when she arrived in Beacon Hills, Kate arguing with her father about finally training her, to Kate pointing her in Stiles' direction, to when they hunted Derek and Scott and then had a gun on Scott in the woods in front of her, then to when Peter slashed Kate's throat in front of her. Allison took a moment to let herself feel the weight of those memories as she then went and looked on inside. The slab looked empty though. But, at the dark end of the slab, there was movement. Allison's eyes then widened as she saw her Aunt Kate screaming and clawing her way to her and Allison quickly shut the door and tried to run out of the morgue. She pushed the doors wide open and froze as she saw that she had entered the halls of the high school.

She was breathing a little hard as she looked wide eyed at her surroundings. A moment later, Lydia walked in front of her with a confused look on her face.

"Allison, are you okay?" her friend asked her.

Allison swallowed some air but nodded to her. But Lydia still looked at her in concern. She then went to her bag and pulled out her phone as Allison looked on tensely.

* * *

Scott rode his bike to school and then started to lock it up when he found a spot. He took off his helmet and looked down at it and froze up when he saw a crimson glint in his eye shining back at him through the reflection. He then shook his head and looked back at the reflection to see that it was gone, just like with the shadow on door that morning. Scott then moved to head on into the school but froze when he saw that his shadow wasn't of himself, but a bestial wolf. One that reminded him of Peter's Alpha form. Scott walked faster but saw that the shadow lingered and even looked like it was stalking him. He then started to run until he was out of the sunlight and couldn't cast a shadow. He was then grabbed and he jumped but quickly settled when he saw that it was just Stiles.

"Scott, you okay?"

"Yeah," Scott muttered to him.

But Stiles narrowed his eyes as he saw how freaked out Scott was looking but trying not to look like. "No, you're not. It's happening to you too. You're seeing things, aren't you?"

Scott's face fell. "How did you know?"

Stiles shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably before he turned and they saw Lydia and Allison moving over for them. Allison was approaching them with the same kind of look that Scott was currently wearing.

"Because it's happening to all three of you," Lydia said to them. Lydia had called Stiles and told him to meet her there as Allison was suffering from hallucinations which Stiles had told her that he was having as well, though in his sleep. Now she has confirmed that it was all three of them. All of them were going through the same thing because of their sacrifice. Lydia then walked off for the main doors with the three of them following in right after her. Lydia couldn't help the small smile on her face. "Well, well, look who's no longer the crazy one."

"We're not crazy," Allison said tiredly after her.

Lydia turned around and looked over at them. "Hallucinating. Sleep Paralysis. Yeah, you guys are fine."

Scott tilted his head a bit. "We did die and come back to life. It's gotta have some side effects, right?"

"Gee, you think?" Stiles narrowed his eyes at him as the bell rang. He would've thought that losing his powers would've been side effect enough, but clearly not

Allison narrowed her eyes as she saw how extra stressed Stiles seemed to be. "Are you alright Stiles?'

"Never better," he said dismissively, not even looking at her. Scott widened his eyes at how he just froze Allison out and rolled his eyes. "Look, let's just keep an eye on each other. And Lydia," he said turning to the girl in question and pointing at her. "Stop enjoying this so much."

He then walked off but Lydia tried hard not to smile again. "What?"

Scott looked over and saw Allison watching Stiles a little sad and hurt but he saw her then take a deep breath and her eyes harden a bit. "Allison?" he said to her. "Are you okay?"

Allison spared him a look and nodded. "Never better," she said in an almost mirrored tone that Stiles had used. "C'mon Lydia, we're going to be late."

The two girls then walked on off leaving Scott looking after them. Scott didn't understand. Given everything that had happened and what they all went through together during the eclipse and the cellar, he had thought things would actually be getting better between them. But it looked like Stiles was still determined to push and keep Allison away. Even though Allison was clearly trying to make an effort with him.

* * *

The Sheriff was in his office, organizing a new board on his wall. One that was filled with pictures and files of all the deaths and disappearances that before he had deemed "unusual". Now, with the revelation of the supernatural in Beacon Hills, he was going back and trying to piece it together with a more…opened outlook. He was looking at the photos of Mr. Harris and Kyle and mentally connected them. When he had found them, he didn't know what to make of any of it but he now understood that they were sacrifices for the Darach. He took a minute to let himself be bewildered at how that actually made some kind of sense. He then looked around at some others that he was now able to make sense on when there was one event that caught his eye. An unsolved case involving a turned over car and two dead people and a third one missing. One that was labeled an animal attack. He then hung the missing girl's picture over the spot on the calendar that marked the date. On the night of the full moon.

There was then a knock on his door which brought him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he called out still staring at the photo.

He heard his visitor walk in and turned around but deflated when he saw who it was. Agent McCall.

"Sheriff," he said to him before focusing his vision to the board himself. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just my job," he said stiffly to him. "And as you can see, I'm kind of busy right now. So, why don't we just skip hollow office courtesy and get to the part where I say: So how can I help you McCall?"

Agent McCall rolled his eyes. "Well, it's clear that Stiles is definitely taking after you when it comes to socialization."

The Sheriff stared at him blankly. "Yeah, it's a good thing that his best friend didn't follow his example on that front with his own father."

McCall's jaw tightened up bit before he raised his hand to show that he was holding a thick folder of files which he slammed onto the sheriff's desk. "We need to talk."

The Sheriff glared a bit at the folder before turning to look back at McCall.

* * *

Everyone was sitting down in History class as they watched the new teacher was writing some notes on the blackboard. Their old history teacher had been killed by Jennifer to serve as one of her sacrifices and they had been without a stable history teacher for some time, until now. When the man was done, he turned and moved to stand at the center front. He seemed to have a peaceful and friendly air around him as he looked over at the students.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Mr. Yukimura and I'll be taking over for your previous history teacher. My family and I moved here three weeks ago. I'm sure that by now you all know my daughter, Kira," he said to them with a smile. "Or maybe not as she's never mentioned anyone from school, or brought home a friend for that matter." At that, there was a loud wooden bang which made them all look back at the one who just slammed her head into the desk. "Either way, there she is," he pointed out unnecessarily.

Kira then raised her head and looked up at the class, throwing a nervous smile out as she tried to ride out the embarrassment.

Stiles looked over at her and thought that she seemed pretty okay. Her father seemed to be a pretty decent guy too. But, for some reason, he felt a cold tingle travel up his spine, sending goosebumps to his arm as it passed by them to his hands. He then went to rub at them and breathe some hot air to them. He didn't know where that sudden chill came from but he shook his head a bit and rubbed at his eyes before he reached for his pen and moved to take down some of Mr. Yukimura's notes.

As for Scott, he felt a warm feeling come over him. One that made him look away with a small smile coming over him. He thought that Kira seemed to be quite pretty and as awkward as she seemed to be feeling right now, he couldn't help but think it was kind of cute. As he looked away though, he noticed that his shadow on the ground was moving, even though he wasn't. His eyes widened when he saw that it was the shadow of a howling man wolf. Scott's face paled at the sight.

* * *

Allison was with Lydia in their art class, both of them had painting easels in front of them. Lydia was already half-way through her painting but Allison was just holding a brush mid-air but not doing anything with it. A student went to move his canvas out onto a display rack to dry and moved away for Allison to see a collage of bright colors, mostly of red, yellow and orange shapes. Suddenly Allison saw her aunt looking out calmly as a large fire encircled the Hale House. She blinked and looked away from the painting. She then saw a girl across the room callously throw a worn paintbrush into a garbage bin where it made a banging sound. Then Allison had a flash of her aunt walking towards her as she let out a shot from her gun at Derek lying on the ground.

Her shaking hand was noticed by her friend as she spared her a look. "Not the steadiest hand for a superb marksman," Lydia muttered at her.

"It's been happening for the past few weeks," she muttered. "Since that night." She then dropped the brush a bit too hard and made some red paint splatter. It splattered on the canvas and Allison's mind flashed to when her aunt's blood sprayed across as Peter ripped her throat out.

Lydia then reached and ripped the ruined paper from the easel. "Start over," she told Allison sternly.

Allison took a deep breath and began to try painting again. Across the room, Isaac was sitting and watching her. Her tension and agitation was all too clear to his wolfish senses.

* * *

Stiles let out a tired breath as he and Scott stopped off at his locker. A moment ago, they had run into some students helping to move the new piano into the music room on account of the last one being taken away after blood had splattered on it from the recital. Stiles had seen that they were having trouble and had gone to try to help but was barely able to help steady it as its weight was too much for him. Scott thought that Stiles might drop it on himself and ran in and was easily able to steady it for the others to finish carrying it into the classroom. Stiles watched Scott help them as he was hit with the fact that he wasn't strong anymore. In fact, he felt weaker than he was before he had turned.

Scott could see that Stiles was having some trouble adjusting to his new change or rather his change being undone. Not to mention the things he was seeing things, like what was happening to him too. "Maybe we just need a little more time to get back to normal?" Scott gently suggested.

But Stiles audibly scoffed. "Normal? Try to remember Scott that we hit the reset button on a supernatural beacon for supernatural creatures. I don't think anything is ever going to get back to normal."

Scott went back a bit. "Well…you're at least halfway there."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, you know, you're actually back to normal," he said softly.

Scott, at that moment, was glad that Stiles didn't have his powers because he was sure that his friend would've easily picked up the scent of jealousy that Scott was giving off then and there. With all of these things happening to him, it was like he was back at the beginning when he first turned. Back to worrying about his every little thought and action. Afraid that he would go and begin tearing into every innocent person in range any second now. But, as an Alpha, it was ten times worse. Because…now there was something else to worry about. What if he lost control and ended up turning some innocent person by mistake. The thought of doing this to someone else, cursing them, scared the hell out of him. He never wanted to do that. He wouldn't have minded being in Stiles' place right now.

Scott's hearing then zooming out and picked up something. It was Mr. Yukimura. "I thought you said that you wanted to make friends."

"Not like that," said his daughter Kira.

"You said that you wanted to be noticed," he argued back.

"I could set myself on fire and be noticed," she ranted.

"Then you'd be dead."

"Exactly," she huffed at him.

Kira then turned and looked away and caught Scott's eye. For some reason, Scott felt his breathing start increasing at that moment and went to look away.

But Stiles tightened his hold on his combination lock. He had frozen up when Scott had said that Stiles had become that word. Normal. He didn't know if he would describe being human again as normal. The world around him felt so…strange to him now that he couldn't connect with it as he did when he was a werewolf. Not only that, but he was having trouble focusing again. Before, his lycanthropy had cured him of his ADHD but it seemed to be back again. Now, he was back to relying on his Adderall again. He had gotten so used to everything that came with being a werewolf that it became…normal. This, right now, with his senses dulled and his old deficiencies, that's what was strange. He then loosened his grip on the lock but saw that the dial's numbers were gone. There were now these shapes that didn't make sense. Stiles shut his eyes for a full second before he opened them to see that the numbers were back.

Stiles backed up a bit when he heard the change in Scott's breathing and turned to look at him. His eyes widened when he saw Scott's eyes were burning red. "Whoa dude, your eyes."

"What about them?" Scott said.

Stiles' eyes widened. "What about, they're starting to glow."

"What, right now?"

"Yes, right now. Scott, stop. Stop it."

But Scott was shaking his head. "I can't…I can't control it." His breathing became rapid as he quickly moved his hand over to cover his eyes.

Stiles then moved to shield Scott from sight. "Alright, look down. Keep your head down and come on."

Stiles moved them off for an empty classroom to the side with no one really watching them except for Kira who wondered what was going on with them before moving on. Stiles threw Scott into the classroom and shut the door behind them.

Scott threw his bag and jacket off and moved to distance himself from Stiles. "No, get back. Get away from me!" he roared at him.

But Stiles wasn't moving. "Scott, relax. It's okay. Just stop and take a deep breath."

"I don't know what's going to happen, get back!" Scott told him. A corner of his mind remembered that Stiles was human again and couldn't defend himself like before.

Stiles saw that Scott was slipping and he needed to get shocked out of this. On reflex, he then tried to shift and move to physically shock him out of this but when he didn't change he then remembered he couldn't. He clenched his fists as he glared at his clawless hands in mild anger and frustration.

Frustration that was picked up by Scott's nose and it seemed to make him get more agitated himself as he pushed a desk away from him so hard that it banged against the wall.

"Whoa, Scott stop!" he said looking towards the door to make sure no one was coming because of that. He moved to check the window of the door when a hand moved to cover the glass from the other side. A hand covered in gauze that made Stiles catch his breath in shock.

Scott started to shake his head and then brought out his claws. He moved to dig them into his palms with a pained yell. Blood started to leak out of his hands as Scott dug in as far and hard as he could to try and shock himself out of his shift. His screams of pain made Stiles look away from the door and back to see all the blood seeping out of his friend's hands and spilling down to the floor as Scott started to slow his breathing. Scott's eyes then faded back to normal and he gasped before he knelt down to the floor.

"Scott?" he said moving to kneel next to him.

"Pain makes you human," Scott said quoting what Derek once told him back when he was first trying to learn control.

Stiles looked over at the door and saw there was no sign of that figure from before and started shaking his head. "Scott, this isn't just in our heads. This is real. It's changing all of us…and it's starting to get bad for me too." That made Scott look a bit dazed at him. "I'm not just having nightmares. These dreams I'm having…they're so bad that I have to literally scream myself awake. The worst part is that I'm not actually sure that I'm even actually up."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh…you know that you can tell you're dreaming…you can't read in dreams. For the last few days, I've been having trouble reading. It's like I can't see the words or I can't put any of the letters in order."

Scott's eyes widened. "Even now?"

Stiles got up and looked at the surrounding posters and even the words left written on the blackboard and saw that everything was in gibberish. "I can't read a thing."

* * *

Lydia was setting up a target on a tree in the woods as Allison stared at it some distance away with her bow in hand.

"Do you really think this is going to help?" Allison asked her as she walked back.

"Well I know that if you don't think it'll help then it definitely won't. So, get your head into it," she said trying to sound like a drill coach. "Shoot a few and see what happens."

Allison grabbed an arrow and drew it into her bow. She pulled, aimed and then released. The arrow flew off and landed on the floor, some distance from the tree. Allison huffed at the poor excuse for a shot as Lydia just smiled and tried to not say anything on that. Allison then moved to pick up another and try again. She let it fly and it flew off and landed in the ground again but to the opposite side of the tree this time.

Lydia's face smile fell a bit. "Maybe…hold the string a different way? Try the Mongolian Draw." That made Allison turn and give her a look. "What? I read. Just try it." Allison let out a frustrated puff of air but moved to get another arrow anyway. She moved and slanted her bow into the Mongolian Draw and then let the arrow fly. It flew off straight, but missed the tree entirely. Lydia saw that that idea wasn't any better. "Okay, take a second to close your eyes." Allison then moved to relax and close her eyes. "Imagine the arrow going into the target."

Allison let her imagination try to imagine her firing her arrow and it landing at the center of the target like it was supposed to. She settled down and then opened her eyes and froze when she saw a shadow running through the trees. "Did you see that?" she gasped.

Lydia looked off into the trees. "See what?"

Allison didn't answer. She just bent down to gather her quiver of arrows and slung it over her shoulders. "Wait here," she told her.

"Are you serious?" Lydia asked her tensely.

"I'll be right back," she told her friend before she started to move off.

Lydia then started to freak. "You did not just say that." She knew what usually happened when someone said that.

Allison narrowed her eyes as she kept herself on alert for that figure she saw. She couldn't make out any sign of it and was about to suggest that they leave but when she turned to look back at her friend, she was gone. "Lydia?" she called out.

"Allison," a gentle sounding voice called out.

Allison then looked out and saw the dark figure again. It was running through the trees. "Lydia?" she tried again.

But all she heard was her own name being called out again and again. She kept turning around, just missing that dark shadowy figure running through the trees. Allison was starting to panic until she turned roughly around and found that the woods had gone dark. She then heard a snap of twigs to her right and then turned quickly around and let her arrow loose. The arrow flew and landed right into the heart, of Stiles. Allison gasped as she saw Stiles look down, grasping at the arrow, in pained shock. He then looked back up at her, his eyes going into a hard glare before he began collapsing into a dead heap on the floor.

"You finally got him. Nice shot sweetie." A voice sounded over behind her.

Allison looked over and saw her aunt Kate, looking dirty and bestial as she was moving towards her, violently thrashing about as she began to run for her. The sight made Allison quickly reach for another arrow and then she let it loose for her but the arrow was caught mid-air by Isaac. Allison then looked and saw that the sun was back and that the face in front of the arrow wasn't her aunt's but Lydia's.

"Oh my god," Allison said as she threw the bow away from her hands. "Oh my god Lydia." Allison had nearly killed her best friend. If it wasn't for Isaac then she would've killed her. Just like she had killed-. At that trail of thought, Allison quickly looked behind her but saw that Stiles' body wasn't there.

Both Isaac and Lydia were looking at her, freaked out and wondering what was wrong with her.

* * *

After seeing that Allison and Lydia were okay and back at her place, Isaac went straight to Scott's and told him of what had happened in the woods. Scott, needless to say, was shocked.

"Right at her head?" Scott asked as he stepped into his room.

Isaac stayed by the door. "Almost right through it. She also keeps saying the same thing. That she keeps seeing her aunt. She was completely zoned out right before she fired that arrow. Whatever's happening to you guys is getting worse. Allison also kept looking around the place, asked me if I smelled any blood nearby for some reason."

Scott wondered why Allison would ask that. "Did you?"

Isaac shook his head. "No. She seemed to calm down after I said that but still looked a bit scared. Makes me think she saw something else, but she says that she only saw her aunt. Seems she might be hiding something. Lydia thinks so too though she was too freaked about what had happened to really worry as much. If I hadn't been there then she would be dead right now."

Scott let a tense breath out before his eyes widened. "Wait, what were you doing there?"

Isaac let his eyes wander a bit. "Uh…"

A moment later, Isaac flew out from Scott's room and rammed into the hallway wall like the day before.

"Oh you guys, come on!" Melissa's voice sounded off from downstairs. "This house does not have a supernatural ability to heal, so stop it!"

Isaac gave a tired look at Scott who gave him a somber kind of look before he shut his bedroom door closed.


	2. Anchors part 2

Chapter 2: Anchors part 2

Stiles had gone to the botanist shop to pick up an order that his father had put in. It was a flower bouquet for them to leave at his mother's grave. With everything out in the open, his father insisted that they go and discuss everything together, as a family. He felt that both he and Stiles, with everything that's happened recently, had some things to say and do now and sharing the truth with his mother was one of them. Stiles didn't really know what to make of his dad's suggestion. A part of him couldn't help but think that, maybe, somehow, his mom already knew. And then, he started to wonder how his mother would've reacted. Would she be scared of it all? Of him? Would she be curious? Would she be angry? The more he thought about it, the more depressing it actually made him feel. It was plastered all over his face as he walked into his dad's office. He could make out his dad kneeling behind his desk so he just walked in with the bouquet and set it down.

"You know, the last time we brought one of these to her grave, it was stolen the same day. A hundred bucks down the drain." But Stiles noticed that his father wasn't making any moves to get up to look at it. "Hey dad?" His father finally looked up from the mess of files that he had scattered around. "What are you doing down there?"

"Working," he said before diving back in. "And, if someone wants flowers that badly, then they can have em. It's the gesture, the thought behind leaving them that's really important."

Stiles then saw that there were multiple boxes, like the one that he saw earlier at the house, laying around. Some of them were opened with their files pulled out next to them. "Hey dad, what is all this?"

"Oh, I've been looking over some old cases from, well, a more illuminated perspective if you know what I mean," he said with a small smile.

Stiles nodded as he picked up a nearby file. "Strange sighting of bipedal lizard man sprinting across freeway," he read out loud.

His father pointed to a small pile in front of him. "Yeah, Kanima pile."

Stiles dropped it and looked at the wall and noticed the files and pictures of the more recent murder victims of Beacon Hills. "Dad," he said kneeling down next to him. "You're not going through all your old cases, seeing if they had anything to do with the supernatural, are you?"

His father's face tightened a bit. "I admit, the recent opening of my eyes to the greater mysteries of the universe has got me…reassessing. There are at least a hundred cases here where I would look at the details and ask myself: If I knew then what I know now-"

Stiles shook his head. "Dad, are you sure you really want to go down that path?"

"Do I have a choice? I mean, you don't, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're a werewolf."

" _Was_ a werewolf," Stiles muttered to him before he averted his eyes and looked down. "I don't think you have to worry about me any more."

"I always worry about you Stiles. Werewolf or not." He was actually worrying about Stiles right now. His son may be trying to act like nothing was wrong but he could feel that he was in some personal crisis. He couldn't imagine what Stiles was going through and though he was trying, his son was involved with something he had only begun to accept let alone understand. But, it was clear that it whatever happened to his son was hitting him harder than he was letting on despite his calm and collected front. "What I'm saying is, that with everything you've seen and gone through, could you really just step away from all of this?"

Stiles took a second to think about that. He then shut his eyes and shook his head. "No. Probably not."

His dad nodded. "Then the least I could do is make sure that my son doesn't step along on that path alone."

Stiles face loosened a bit before his eyes went to all the papers scattered about. "And these cases are your first step?"

"Yeah. Actually, I'm hoping that you could help me. There's one case in particular I can't get out of my head. It was 8 years ago when I was elected Sheriff to the county, my first official duty was to tell a man that not only did his wife and two kids die in a car accident but, as best we could tell, the body of his 9 year old daughter had been dragged from the wreckage by coyotes."

Stiles took the file and looked at the photo of a 9 year old girl smiling at him. "You mean dragged and eaten?"

"We didn't find the car until three days after the crash." The Sheriff let himself remember coming across the wreck and the bodies inside. "It had been driven off the road into a pretty deep ravine. The two bodies left in the car were covered in bites and slashes."

Stiles narrowed his eyes in concentration. "So, bites and claw marks, you think it might've been a werewolf attack?"

His dad nodded. "Maybe."

"You said it was 8 years ago. Well, that was before the Hale Fire so there were quite a few werewolves around. But it probably could've really just been coyotes. They have been known to scavenge, right? Couldn't they have left the bites and slashes?"

His dad nodded again. "Absolutely, but the thing is, the night the crash happened, guess on what night it was."

He pointed to the date and Stiles read it and let a hard breath out. "Night of a full moon."

"Yeah."

Stiles then shut the file with a sigh as he looked around and noticed transfer tickets on the file boxes. "Hey dad, where are all of these going?"

The sheriff gave the boxes a look. "Yeah…we probably need to talk about that."

His father then put a box on the desk and took the file from Stiles to put it back inside and Stiles got a good look at the transfer sticker. It had Agent McCall written on it. Stiles' eyes narrowed just as his dad started to explain what was going on.

* * *

Stiles was nearly stomping as he walked through the halls that morning and went into class. He was moving so fast that he nearly bumped into the girl that was sitting in his spot.

"Oh, sorry," he said to her as she looked up at him. "But I usually sit there." But the girl just kept staring at him before she started to sign to him. He realized that she was deaf and now felt embarrassed. "Okay, no problem, it's all yours." He then moved to sit in an empty seat a few spaces away. He moved to turn to the right page of his textbook when he realized that no one in the class was moving. Everyone seemed to be staring straight ahead, silently. Also, Stiles didn't seem to recognize anyone. He was about to stand up to leave when he gasped as he saw Coach Finstock standing in the front, looking at him. "Oh hey Coach," he said settling back in his seat. "Thought I was in the wrong class for a sec." But Coach then started to sign something to him. "Uh, okay. I don't actually know sign language. Actually, I didn't know that you knew sign language or that was even an elective here." But Coach just kept signing to him. The same movements over and over and was staring at him with a blank look in his eyes. Stiles narrowed his own eyes as Coach was starting to freak him out. "Well, this has been good but I'm going to head out." He moved to grab his things and walk out but then the class started to move. Everyone in their seats was signing to Stiles. Making the exact same hand movements to him, in unison. They were all giving him that same blank stare the Coach had as well. Stiles now was getting scared. He also felt a pressure on his head as his inner ears started ringing.

The ring then turned to a whistle as Stiles lifted his head up to find Coach blowing on his whistle.

"Stilinski!" he roared at him.

"Uh huh?" Stiles said quickly.

"I asked you a question."

"Uh, sorry Coach, what was it?"

"Oh, it was: Stilinski, are you paying attention back there?"

Stiles leaned back a bit. "Um, well I am now."

That made Coach glare at him. "Stilinski, stop reminding me why I drink. Every night."

Stiles sighed before he looked over and saw Scott looking concerned at him. He just shook his head. "I'm okay. I just fell asleep for a second."

"Dude, you weren't asleep." Scott then looked down at Stiles' desk.

Stiles looked down and saw that his notebook was covered in the same two words written in his own hand. Wake Up. They were written in different ways and styles all over the page but they were clearly written by him. And Stiles didn't remember writing a thing. He quickly closed his notebook shut.

* * *

Scott gathered everyone over at lunch in the quad so that they could try to find out what was going on with them. As Scott and Stiles made to sit opposite of Lydia, Allison and Isaac, Allison averted her eyes from him. The image of firing an arrow into Stiles replayed in her mind. Especially the look that she had seen on his face still made her chilled. When the boys sat down she spared a look and saw that Stiles wasn't even looking in her direction. He just seemed to be staring down at the table.

"Okay," Scott started. "What happens to a person that has a near death experience and comes out of it seeing things?"

"And is not able to tell what's real or not?" added Stiles.

"And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?" finished Allison.

"They're all locked up because they're insane," Isaac answered.

Stiles narrowed his eyes at him. "Ha, could you at least _try_ and be helpful, please?" he snapped at him.

"For half my childhood I was locked in a freezer so being helpful is kind of a new thing for me." he sarcastically said back to him.

But Stiles rolled his eyes. "Are we still milking that?"

"Yes we are still milking that," Isaac nodded.

"Don't make me hurt you," Stiles slurred out.

Isaac snorted. "You hurt me? As if you still could," he said mocking the fact that Stiles couldn't put up a real fight against him anymore now that he lost his power.

Their arguing got Scott to let his head fall helplessly to the table as this was getting nowhere. But then they were joined by Kira.

"Hi," she said to them with a nervous smile. "Hi, I'm sorry but I couldn't help overhearing what you guys were talking about." That made them all stare intently at her. "And I think I might actually know what you're talking about."

Stiles felt a chill travel up his spine at that. "You do?"

She nodded. "There's a Tibetan word for it, it's called Bardo. It literally means: in between state. In between life and death."

Everyone in the table shared a look with each other on that.

Lydia rolled her eyes and moved to look her in the eye. "And, what do they call you?"

But before she could answer, Scott did.

"Kira." Everyone then went to stare at Scott. "She's in our history class," he quickly explained to them.

Stiles widened his eyes a bit at that while Allison's fell over to her twiddling fingers. Isaac seemed to notice her doing that but chose not to say anything.

Lydia just turned to look over at Kira. "So are you talking Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?"

Kira moved to sit in the space next to Stiles. "Either I guess," she said as she felt more calmer and comfortable with talking to them. And all of them seemed to be hanging on her every word. "But all that stuff you guys were saying, all of that happens in Bardo. There are different progressive states in Bardo. Some you see, some you hear. And you could be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities."

Isaac moved to rub at his chin. "Wrathful deities? And what are those?"

"Oh, well, like demons."

Stiles took a deep breath. "Demons. Sure, why not?" Considering what they've seen so far, why wouldn't those be real too?

"Uh, if there are different progressive states then, what's the last one?" Allison asked Kira tensely.

"Death," she told her. "You die."

If anything, this meeting just made all of them leave even more freaked out and scared then they were when it started.

* * *

After school, Scott and Stiles paid a quick visit over to Deaton at the animal clinic. They needed answers and he was their best bet. They went and laid everything about what the two of them and Allison were going through. Since Stiles' dreams actually had some kind of message, they decided to focus on that.

Deaton moved to the door and flipped the sign hanging from Open to Closed. "Sounds like your subconscious is trying to communicate with you."

Stiles nodded. "Okay, well how do I tell my subconscious to use a language that I actually know?"

"Do you remember what the sign language looked like?" he asked Stiles as he turned back to him. "The placement and movement of the hands?"

"You know sign language?" Scott asked a bit surprised.

"I know a little," he admitted to Scott before turning back to Stiles. "Give it a shot."

"Okay." Stiles then started the movement that he saw. "First one was like this."

Deaton watched it and nodded. "That's When."

"Okay, and then there's this twice," he said doing the next one.

"That's Door."

"And this in between that," Stiles said finishing it up.

Deaton straightened himself up. "When is a door not a door?"

Stiles shook his head. "When is a door not a door?"

"When it's ajar," Scott answered.

Stiles clicked his tongue. "You're kidding me, a riddle? My subconscious wants to tell me a riddle?"

"Not necessarily," Deaton cut in. "When the three of you went under the water, when you crossed from unconsciousness to a super consciousness, you essentially opened a door in your minds."

"So wait, what does that mean? The door's still opened?" Scott asked.

"Ajar," Deaton corrected.

Stiles then flashed back to his nightmare where he saw that door left ajar. He remembered that his nightmare only got worse when he went to the other side of it. "A door into our minds?" he mumbled a bit terrified.

"I did tell you it was risky," Deaton reminded him.

"What do we do about it?" Scott quickly asked him.

"It's…difficult to answer."

But Stiles shook his head. "No, wait a sec, I know that look. That's the 'We know what's wrong with you but we don't know how to fix it look'."

"But one thing I do know is that creating an opening to your mind, it's not good. It could have serious repercussions."

"You mean like, say…making a werewolf lose all their powers? It all could just…go out the door?" Stiles threw in. When he had looked at the other side of the door in his dream, he had seen a wolf, no, a Beast. Was that...his powers? Did they just…wander out of the door? Would trying to close it draw them back in?

Deaton stared at him a moment before he slowly nodded. "That might be possible."

Stiles didn't know if Deaton was answering his audible question or his silent one.

Scott widened his eyes. "Really? How?"

Scott was definitely intrigued. If this had anything to do with how Stiles became human again then maybe, just maybe, Scott could find a way to use it for himself. He was now an Alpha but wasn't in control and it was getting worse. He might've hurt Stiles or any of his other classmates when he lost it back at the school. But this 'door' might be the answer he'd been looking for since last year. If he could use this opening to push his own powers away then he might be able to actually be human again, like Stiles had gotten the chance to be.

But Deaton looked over and caught Scott's eye. Scott could swear that Deaton knew exactly what he had just been thinking.

"These are dangerous and unpredictable forces that you tapped and unleashed when you crossed over." Deaton said still looking at him. "There's no telling how it could've affected any of you or still could. With that door ajar in your minds, anything could be let out…or in. You each have to close that door, and you have to do it as soon as possible." Deaton's tone was both serious and frightful.

* * *

Scott and Stiles were soon leaving the clinic in silence. Each of them thinking of their own personal dilemmas with their 'doors'. One wanted to pull something back in while the other wanted to push something out. But, they could feel the seriousness of Deaton's warnings and knew that they had to shut the door as soon as they could. The problem was that they didn't know how.

Scott could smell fear coming off Stiles, intense fear and but his friend kept walking on like nothing was wrong with him. Scott had to wonder if Stiles was scared that his werewolf powers might rear their ugly head through the door they left from and come back again. If he was in his place…that would terrify him especially now that his friend has his normal life back.

But what was running through Stiles' head and terrifying him, Scott couldn't have begun to have guessed.

Stiles couldn't help but remember what Kira told him about malevolent forces, demons. He remembered that…thing that was always trying to grab at him. The one with that dirty gauze covered hand, always trying to grab onto him. Could that be a demon and was it trying to get into his mind? Deaton had said that anything could get out or in. Stiles didn't want to know what happened if that, whatever it was, really did actually manage to get to him. The very thought practically iced his blood.

They were snapped out of their dazes when bright headlights shined on them as the Sheriff's car started to pull in.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Stiles asked his father as soon as he got out.

"I'm here because, I could use some help." He looked at his son tensely before he looked over at Scott. "Actually, your help."

"Why me?" Scott asked him.

"Because, eight years ago an entire family died in a car accident. One of the bodies, a young girl named Malia, was never found. There's enough evidence to make me think that…a werewolf could've caused the accident and dragged her body away." The Sheriff knew that this wasn't going to be easy. It was one thing for him to accept the truth about all of this stuff relating to the supernatural. It was another to actively involve himself in it but there wasn't a choice. He didn't have much time left. "If you could somehow get a lock on her scent, if you could help me find her body, it might provide us a clue."

"And what if it was a werewolf?" Stiles asked him.

"Then that means that there's someone out there that murdered an entire family. Someone that still needs to be caught." It didn't matter to him if this person was supernatural or not, a murderer was still a murderer.

"After eight years?" Scott asked him skeptically.

"I know…but this is the only lead I've got left."

Scott nodded. "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

The sheriff nodded. "Thanks Scott. I'll take you both there tomorrow. Why don't you both head on home."

The boys went to move for Stiles' jeep but Stiles noticed that his father seemed to be heading on inside for the clinic.

"Dad, wait," Stiles straightened himself up. "What are you going to do?"

"I just need to ask an old friend some questions. I'll be back home in a bit. Try and get some sleep, okay?" he asked gently.

Stiles' eyes softened as he moved to open his door and start his Jeep up and began to drive them off.

* * *

Deaton heard the bell jingle and he turned to see the Sheriff walk into the clinic.

"Sheriff Stilinski," he said from the doorway.

The sheriff pointed behind him to the door. "I know that you're closed but I was hoping if I could have a bit of your time."

"Don't worry. I'm used to having visitors no matter what position that sign is in," Deaton said in a slight jest. "Your son was just here."

"I know. I was able to catch him and Scott just now. I actually was coming here to see you."

"Oh. Well then, do you need help with something?"

"I was hoping we could talk. I mean, you and I never had much of a chance to since I've learned about…well everything. And there's some questions that I need answered and from what my son tells me, you seem to always have answers."

Deaton sighed. "Not always. I help whenever I can."

"Well, hopefully this is one of those times. You were with the Hales for a long time, right? As their…druid?"

"Their emissary," he corrected. "And yes I was with them for quite a few years. Since before Talia Hale had her first child."

"I see. Uh, would you happen to know anything about something that happened 8 years ago with an animal attack involving Henry Tate's family?"

Deaton actually tensed. "Tate?"

"Yeah. His wife and two kids were killed. Back then, when I handled the investigation I just chalked it up as a regular animal attack. But now, with all of this out in the open, I don't think that so much anymore. I think it might actually be…werewolf related."

"I see," the vet said as he turned around. "Before the fire, Talia did everything in her power to keep everything around here as peaceful as she could, but, even she couldn't be everywhere and stop every supernatural related crisis. The Tate family…was one that hit her close to home. Especially when she couldn't find the one that attacked them."

The sheriff narrowed his eyes. "Wait, she knew the Tates?"

"She did," Deaton answered softly. "Though the situation was complicated."

"How?"

But Deaton shook his head. "I'm sorry but, I can't tell you that. I made a promise long ago that I can't break. All I can tell you is it might be best to not dig so far into the past."

"If this attack was werewolf related then that means that someone murdered this family. I can't just stand back and let them just get away with this," he said with hard resolution.

Deaton held a calming hand up at him. "I realize that Sheriff but there is more to all of this than you realize. If you keep pushing this, you may just only bring more harm than good. You could end up opening boxes that can never be closed or deepen wounds that have been slowly healing. Sometimes, you have to let the past stay passed or it could only bring more future pain."

Sheriff Stilinski just stared at Deaton as he moved to head back in his office. He couldn't just stand back and do nothing. Not when he had already done so much of that already when it came to the hidden truths of this town. He owed and failed too many people already. He had to try and make it right wherever he could.

* * *

The Sheriff was driving through the path near the woods that led to the private home of Henry Tate. He got out of his car and looked out in the distance. He hoped that this worked. He slowly made his way to the man's front door and knocked. Tate let him in and escorted him inside where the man went over to some boxes that seemed to have been half-way through him opening. He went and opened the nearest one and revealed that it had some kind of metal contraption.

"Another coyote problem," Tate explained. "The population is up around here and they get into everything."

Upon closer inspection, The Sheriff saw that it was a vintage trap. "Doesn't seem big enough to catch one," he commented.

The man smirked at him. "It's a rat trap. Take away the coyote's source of food and they'll leave you alone." His face then fell. "These days…I prefer to be left alone."

The Sheriff nodded. "I understand. Just have a couple of questions, and I promise that I'll leave." He really wouldn't be long, just long enough for Scott and Stiles to do what they needed to do.

The two boys were quietly moving in through the back porch, carefully stepping over one of Mr. Tate's rat traps and heading for the back door. They moved to quietly open and quickly move in as the Sheriff kept the man busy. They quickly found what seemed to be a little girl's room and Stiles quickly moved to pick up one of the stuffed animals and moved to sniff it. But, again, Stiles remembered that he couldn't pick up scents anymore and turned to look at Scott who was watching him questionably.

"Sorry," he said tossing it to Scott. "Force of habit."

"It's okay," Scott said before taking a sniff of the stuffed animal. He guessed that Stiles would just need a bit more time to really get used to and accept that he was normal again. After a few seconds, Scott shook his head.

Stiles tossed him another one of the stuffed toys on the bed. "Anything?"

Scott took a hard whiff of the second one but shook his head again. "No. All I keep getting is some animal smell."

"What animal smell?" Stiles asked as he moved to try and find some clothes.

Scott froze as he looked down ahead of him. "Dog."

Stiles looked up from the drawer and saw that the two of them were being stared down by a dog, a very big, dog. "Hi puppy," Stiles said tensely as he froze too. "Get rid of it," he told Scott.

"Me?" he asked incredulously.

"Uh, yes you. Glow your eyes at it or something. Be the Alpha." Stiles was beginning to wonder if the hype of the True Alpha had been gravely exaggerated if Scott couldn't even stand up to a dog.

"I can't," Scott told him as he kept his eyes on the animal. "I don't have control."

"Okay well you're going to have to try something," Stiles said to him sternly. "I would do it myself but I'm kind of not a scary predator anymore. Suck it up and do something," he said through clenched teeth.

Scott let a small breath out before he nodded. He then slowly moved for the dog and then extended his hand out to it. "Nice doggie," he said to it softly.

Stiles just gave Scott a look. That was it? A beta like him had scared dozens of crazed attacking birds with a small growl and glare but a True Alpha couldn't send away one intimidating but calm dog? ' _Yep, definitely exaggerated the hype_ ,' he thought both tirelessly and bitterly.

The dog responded to Scott's approach by started to bark loudly making the two of them jump back in fright. Over in the kitchen, the Sheriff and Tate were snapped out of their conversation.

"Apollo! Apollo, shut up!" Tate yelled out. But the dog kept barking at the boys. "Shut the hell up!" Tate yelled out even louder.

That got the dog to be quiet. He spared the two shellshocked boys another look before moving off to join his master. Stiles looked at Scott, annoyed, as he stared back with an apologetic look. Stiles just rolled his eyes before he moved off to keep looking for something with a stronger scent for Scott trace.

"Anything?" he asked him handing what seemed to be a girl's diary.

But Scott shook his head. "All I'm getting is that dog."

Stiles was starting to get pissed. He knew why this one meant a lot to his father and he couldn't help him on this one when he was really, truly counting on him. Well, counting on Scott really since he couldn't count on him anymore. Stiles glare loosened a bit when he saw a picture of two girls on the dresser. It was that girl, Malia, with what looked like her big sister. They were smiling and she was holding what looked like an old fashioned doll. Stiles decided to take a quick picture before he rushed them out of there.

As for Stiles' father, he informed Henry of the reason why he had come. To tell him that his family wasn't just killed but could've been murdered.

"Murder?" Tate said breathlessly after he told him. "I spent 8 years thinking that it was an accident and now you're telling me that it could be murder? Who the, hell, would want to murder my wife and girls? My whole family?!"

The sheriff could feel that pain filling Henry's voice with every word. "I…don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out."

"I don't! I don't want to redefine this entire nightmare as an unsolved murder! Just…leave me alone with tragic accident," he said getting close to breaking down. "Cause that is what I've spent the last 8 years getting used to. Accident, not murder."

"Uh…I apologize," the sheriff tried to calm him.

But Tate didn't want to be calm. "Just go!" he spat at him.

The Sheriff quickly left then without another word. He made it to his car to see his son pulling his jeep up next to his car. The two boys stepped out and went over to him.

Scott was shaking his head and looking apologetic. "I'm sorry. I tried as hard as I could. If it wasn't so long ago, I might have been able to do it."

But the Sheriff held his hand out to them. "It's okay. It was a long shot. Actually…it was a probably a bad idea. I think I…just ripped a wound up on that poor man." As both a father and a husband, he could imagine the hurt that he just gave to Tate. Maybe he should've listened to Deaton after all. "I never should've brought you boys here. I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks for trying," he said to them before stepping into his car. "Thanks for trying."

He then left leaving the boys looking off after him.

"Aren't there a lot of cases that go unsolved?"

Stiles kept his eyes on the trailing dust made by his dad's car. "Yeah, I just think that this was one that he felt he could've figured out right now."

"Why is it so important now?"

"Well, he wanted to solve one more, while he was still Sheriff."

Scott's eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean, 'still Sheriff'?"

Stiles then remembered the reason why all of this was happening to his father, or rather who was doing it to him. He looked at his friend and let out a tired breath.

* * *

When Melissa McCall got home from her shift she heard a great deal of yelling come from inside. It was Scott and he was screaming at his father. She opened the door to see the two of them staring each other down.

"I'm just trying to help," she heard Scott's father say gently.

But their son was anything but gentle. "Who are you helping? Just get out!" Scott spat at him.

"Scott," his father said trying to calm his son down.

But Scott wasn't calming down. "I can't believe that you would do this to my best friend!"

"I'm not doing anything to your friend. I'm just doing my job."

"Your job sucks," he spat at him.

His dad shook his head. "Some days I can't argue that."

"Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Melissa finally cut in.

Scott quickly turned to her. "He's trying to get Stiles' dad fired!" he spat to her.

"That's not true," his dad tried to explain himself.

"What are you doing?" Melissa cut him off.

He caught her eye and braced himself. "Conducting a case for impeachment."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Sounds a lot like getting him fired," she said scoldingly.

Now he started getting defensive. "His lack of resolution and inability to close cases is what's going to get him fired. Especially the recent ones that had you getting taken by a serial killer who he let get away, as well as starting a full investigation on Christopher Argent only to hit an impasse."

"Don't you dare use me as an excuse to try and settle one of your personal issues," Melissa spat at him.

"It's not personal Melissa. This is simply my job. It's painfully clear that Stilinski can't do his job and mine is to collect the information. That's the assignment that my superiors have given me."

"Your job sucks," she said mimicking Scott's earlier words.

Scott just stayed there as his breathing increased. There was nothing to be done about the Jennifer part as she had disappeared without a trace but Mr. Argent's case was different. When everything became clear to the Sheriff about…well everything, he moved to protect Allison and her father by claiming that he couldn't find anything on the hunter. The Sheriff knew that if he dug into the Argents far enough then it could end up bringing things to light and putting them all in danger. And while Stiles' dad agreed to protect Mr. Argent, he threatened him too. Told him if he laid one finger on either Scott, Stiles or their friends, 'put them down', then he would put him down. It looked like the Sheriff had heard all about Stiles' time with the Argents and began to think just as low of them as Stiles did. Now, with his dad doing this to Stiles' dad, it could make Stiles be even more bitter against them, maybe even with him too. As he glared at his father, he could only think that him coming back to town had just made his life worse.

Melissa looked down at Scott's hand to see that his claws were extending. "Scott," she said to him tensely as she moved to block view of him from his father who was looking a bit confused at what was happening. "Calm down," she said gently taking his hand. But she then saw that Scott's eyes started to glow slightly red. "Come with me right now," she said before dragging him off before his father could see anything. She moved him over towards the stairs as he tried to keep his head down. "Breathe, just let it go," she said rubbing at his back.

"I'm trying," Scott gasped as he fought against the shift. But it wasn't working. He could feel his fangs starting to come in.

"I thought you and Stiles spent the summer learning to control all of this? You had to find an anchor, right? Well, find your anchor."

"My anchor was Allison," he grunted out as the shift fought harder to get to the surface. "I don't have Allison anymore."

"I remember Stiles telling me that he had more than one anchor. He had his father, you. Just use one of your other ones," she suggested.

"Allison was the only one I ever had," he gasped. Looking back, Scott believed that Allison was all he would ever need. That he would always have her and now he was paying for it.

His mom then narrowed her eyes at him. "Then be your own anchor," she told him. "You can do this."

Scott grit his teeth and pushed himself as hard as he could against the new stronger wolf inside him and soon felt the claws and fangs starting to retract. He then let out a hard breath as the pressure started to cease. "I'm okay," he muttered to her.

She nodded before she went over and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Okay…sweetheart, let me tell you something that no teenager ever believes but I swear to you is the absolute truth. You fall in love more than once." Scott looked sadly at her and she nodded. "It will happen again. And, it will be just as amazing and as extraordinary as the first time. And maybe just as painful. But it will happen again, I promise. And until then, be your own anchor."

Scott didn't know if he believed his mother's words or not. He couldn't imagine feeling what he felt for Allison with someone else. She had left a hole in Scott that he felt everyday. He didn't know if there ever would be anyone else that could fill it like she did. But…he knew that he had to find a way to keep from losing control. Now, it was more important than ever. If he was going to be his own anchor, then he needed something to help strengthen his own sense of self. And...he thinks he knew where was the place to start.

* * *

Allison was laying on her bed as she was letting herself relax to the feel of Isaac leaving a trail of soft kisses as he hovered over her. A part of her felt blissfully at peace as Isaac kissed her slowly but softly from her stomach up to her neck. But as he moved to push her blouse and expose her shoulder, she began feeling some guilt set in. Guilt as the last one to touch her like this had been Scott. The one that Isaac was now staying with and didn't want to cause another issue for Scott with another of his friends.

"You sure Scott's okay with this?" she gasped as Isaac began to suck on her neck. Isaac wasn't stopping to answer her so she gave him a small push. "Isaac," she said fighting through it to make him stop for a second.

Isaac just looked down at her with a small smile/smirk. "Yeah," he breathed out. "He's 100% over it." He then went to resume kissing and sucking on her neck.

She barely managed to ask, "He said that," as he did.

He lifted his head to look at her again. "Not in so many words but…he's moved on." He then smiled as he hovered over her lips. "You should too." He then went and began to return to kissing her body, lowering himself down her front.

Allison let herself be lost in the feeling of Isaac's soft treatment of her before he sat up and pulled his shirt up. Allison lightly caressed his torso and slowly looked up until her gaze went to his face.

But…Allison narrowed her eyes when she reached it. "What's that around your neck?"

Isaac's face fell a bit as he looked down and reached to feel on what seemed to be some kind of cord. Then two more hands came up from behind Isaac and tightened the cord cutting off Isaac's air. Allison gasped as her Aunt Kate appeared and held onto him.

"Let's do him Allison," she hissed at her. "Let's do him together.'

Suddenly, Allison found her hand jammed into Isaac's heart and he started to gurgle up blood. Allison ripped her hand out to find that one of her ring daggers was there, stained with Isaac's blood.

Next thing Allison knew, she was gasping and sitting up in her bed. The lights were on and she saw that Isaac wasn't there with her, but Lydia, who was asleep. She then remembered that she had come over so that they could study together and must've fallen asleep. Allison moved to slow her breathing down. She had another one. Another dream or vision or…something where she saw her aunt, goading her, pushing her into killing someone. Not just anyone though, werewolves. First it was Stiles, now it was Isaac. Allison just shook her head and let herself fall back into her mattress but then felt something poking her side. She moved her hand and pulled out one of her ring daggers. What was that thing doing in her bed? Now Allison was really starting to get scared. This was starting to go beyond simple visions and nightmares.

* * *

Stiles was at home, laying down in his bed, trying to sleep. The key word was trying. He was just staring blankly up at the ceiling. Stiles was afraid to go to sleep. Especially with his own personal Freddy Krueger wracking around his head, trying to get him in his dreams. Hell, he didn't even know if he wasn't really dreaming already. But he was brought out of his thoughts when he heard someone coming from the other side of his bedroom door.

He raised his head up in time to see Scott rush in. "Hey, what's going on?" Stiles asked him.

"You and me, we're going to find a body." Scott then lit the flashlight in his hand. "A dead body."

Stiles couldn't help but feel a strong sense of dejavu just then. He let a small smirk loose before he moved to get changed.

Stiles jeep soon pulled up into the woods as close as they could for where the accident happened. The terrain was too rough to go by car so they would have to go the rest of the way by foot.

"You know," Stiles started as they walked through the dark trees. "If my dad is right then that means that there's another werewolf in town that we haven't met yet."

"I know," Scott said glumly as he was trying to navigate them using his phone.

"And, if it turns out to be triplets that form into a three headed Hound of Hell then I'm seriously not up for that."

"Yeah, me either. Especially since I can't even control my own transformation."

"Tell me about it," Stiles muttered.

They came up to a small Cliffside which made them have to stop. But, a sudden howl sounded which startled Stiles a bit, as the memories of his vicious dream played back to him, and he bumped into Scott. That made him drop his phone down the rocks where it landed in a small puddle.

"Sorry buddy," Stiles said when Scott looked at him annoyed. Stiles then looked back behind them and shook his head. "Coyotes, I just hate them so much. They always sound like they're mauling some tiny, helpless animal."

They started to slide and climb down the side of the cliff. Scott moved gracefully with his enhanced agility but Stiles had to scale slowly. His feet felt heavier than before and he couldn't move as fast and confidently like he used to. But he managed to get to the bottom as well as Scott went over to pick his phone up.

"It still works," he said with relief.

But Stiles wasn't looking at Scott's phone. "Let me see the flashlight." Scott handed it to him and Stiles shined it up ahead. "I think we found it."

There, just a few feet ahead was the capsized car that his father had told them about.

"Uh, why wouldn't they move it?" Scott asked as they moved closer. "Isn't it evidence?"

Stiles looked around and saw the landscape around the car. They were in a very deep ravine. "Probably too much of a pain in the ass to tow out." Stiles shined the light all around the car before he froze. "Look at this."

He went and pointed out deep incisions made across the car doors. Incisions that were all too familiar.

"Claw marks," Scott muttered.

As Scott ran his own fingers across them Stiles nodded. He knew what Scott was thinking. "Yeah, animal claws would be closer together. A lot closer together."

"Then it was a werewolf."

Stiles sighed. "My dad was right." Stiles then started to look inside the car. It was dirty and hollow. There was no sign of any damage of a werewolf attack inside the car that he could make out. Stuck under one of the seats, Scott found something sticking out. He yanked on it to find that it was an old fashioned girl's doll. He pulled it out for Scott to see. The two of them kept looking at it until it suddenly said: **I'm hungry**. They both let out a small scream and Stiles dropped it. "I think I had a minor heart attack," Stiles said before moving to clear his slightly clogged throat.

Scott was holding onto his own heart. But he then heard hard breathing off to the side and his eyes widened. "Stiles," he said with his eyes not leaving the darkness. "Please tell me you see that."

Stiles moved over and narrowed his eyes. Stiles' face paled as he saw two eyes, in the darkness, just like in his dreams. "I see it," he whimpered. The breathing got louder and he knew that it wasn't breathing made by something human. Stiles started back up a little. This was too close for comfort. He then turned around, expecting to see the other figure from his dreams. The figure with its hands wrapped up in dirty gauze. But Stiles turned as he saw Scott racing off after the eyes. "Scott! No, wait!" he screamed. Stiles didn't want to be left alone. Not here, not now.

But Scott didn't stop. He ran off, after those eyes. He moved off to the landing where they were and could smell the scent of an animal, fresh in the air. He then heard swift movement and Scott quickly dashed after it. It was cutting through some tight spaces in the brush and Scott jumped over the ridge to try and cut it off. He landed and the animal came out to reveal itself as a coyote. It was snarling at him and Scott's eyes burned bright red at it. The coyote backed up a bit and it's eyes let out a soft blue glow. At the sight, something in Scott stirred. He didn't know how to describe it but it was like a…truth was revealed to him.

"Malia," he muttered.

At the name, the coyote turned quickly and ran away. As fast and far away from Scott as it could go. Scott just laid there and watched it run off. It wasn't a werewolf that was behind this. It was a were…coyote?

* * *

Off in a dark cellar, with the only source of light a single lit bulb, Derek and Peter Hale hissed as they felt the burn of electricity race through their bodies. Their belongings were spread out on a nearby table. Derek's phone suddenly lit with texts from Scott telling him to call him back and that he needed help. But a hand moved to turn the phone off. That person looked over at the two werewolves tied to the metal fence by their wrists and shut off the contraption sending the electricity in on them.

When it stopped, Derek moved to glare at Peter who just stared back at him bemused.

"Why are you looking at me like this is my fault?" he asked his nephew.

"Because it is your fault," he tiredly and angrily puffed out.

But then their assailant went and turned the current back on sending fresh volts of electricity into both of them again.


	3. More Bad Than Good

Chapter 3: More Bad Than Good

Derek and Peter were having a fresh jolt of electricity run through their bodies. It was so strong that sparks were firing off from the transformer supplying it. Even the lights surrounding them were dimming from the current being drained so it could pass through them instead. However, both Derek and Peter were resolved to not give the man sitting calmly a few feet away from them any satisfaction.

"You see this equipment?" their torturer asked. "Very old. The settings aren't quite accurate anymore so it's hard to tell how far to turn the dial." His tone was like that of a man talking calmly with other people over coffee. As if two people weren't behind him being electrocuted.

"I think it's a little high," Peter hissed out through the pain.

That just made the guy turn the dial further and Peter and Derek felt the current get stronger. The room darkened with more of the power being siphoned off.

"I've seen some crack their teeth. Others…they just shake and shake after their hearts stop. Sometimes we don't even know they're dead." He then turned the dial off making the current stop flowing giving the werewolves a rest. The man then stood up. "But, nobody wants to play a guessing game. So why don't you just tell us…where's La Loba?"

Derek's head swayed a bit from where he stood as he barely opened his eyes to look at him. Derek knew a good degree of Spanish and knew that he was asking for The She-Wolf. It seemed obvious that these hunters wanted to know where Cora was. Derek could only think of one reason why that would be. He and Peter were a little surprised when they found out. Rather in Derek's case he was shocked and somewhat revolted in his sister's taste, and she easily countered by reminding him of his own past experiences. Despite that, he agreed with his uncle that Cora had to remain safe as there would be many people after her now. They didn't know how these hunters could've found out but both Derek and Peter were resolved not to break to this guy and lead them to her.

"We don't know what, La Loba, is," Derek denied.

"Oh? Maybe you just need a different method of persuasion? Maybe, we cut one of you in half and the other talks?"

Peter gave him a smirk. "I would love to be that helpful volunteer but, we really don't know what the hell you're talking about?" His smirk widened. "And honestly, isn't bisecting people with a broadsword just a little medieval?" he asked amusingly.

That made the man chuckle. "Broadsword? We're not savages." He then turned to the side where his associate came out and started up the motor for a chainsaw. That made both the wolves share a nervous look. "We're wondering how far your little healing trick goes. What do you think? Can you grow back an arm? We're pretty sure you can't grow back a head," he asked as the man moved the saw to the side of Derek's face.

The saw was then moved to under Derek's chin but a shout made everyone look over to the side to see a woman calmly walk in. She seemed to be a little distinguished but the very sight of her made the hunters in the room freeze and become attentive. She told them that they didn't need to be so harsh in Spanish and they backed off. She then calmly moved over to the Hales. Derek claimed that he didn't speak Spanish, in Spanish. But the woman just narrowed her eyes at him and said that he spoke Spanish well enough.

"You know exactly what I'm saying," she said speaking in English. "And, you know who we want." She then approached him with a poker firmly in her hand. "Where is the She-Wolf?"

"We don't know, any she-wolf," Derek told her sternly as the thought protecting his little sister filled his very being.

But the woman smirked at him. "I know you won't talk lobito." But she turned to Peter. "But this one will talk. This one _loves_ the sound of his own voice."

Peter smiled at her. "You should hear me sing," he said cheekily.

"We want to hear you scream," the other hunter told him.

"No one ever wants to hear me sing?" Peter asked Derek. His nephew just shrugged and looked away from him.

"What could we do to persuade you?" the woman asked. She then moved to lightly run the poker across the side of Peter's face, close to his right eye. It made Peter tense and extend his claws but he still couldn't break free. "Where is the She-Wolf?" she roared at him.

Derek glared sternly at his uncle, silently screaming at him to not say anything. Peter just glared at the woman and kept himself quiet. He'll admit that he was pretty self-preserving but even he had his principles. And Cora's safety and future were worth whatever pain this woman would surely give him.

When he wouldn't talk, the woman went and struck at Peter's hand and Peter began screaming. Derek looked and saw that one of Peter's fingers were lopped off.

"Think about it," the woman said calmly to him as she held the clawed finger in between her own. "I'm only going to ask you…nine more times."

She then left but not before sticking the finger with the claw on the table in front of them so that it could be in plain view for them.

* * *

Scott was running through the trees, trying to find the coyote. That coyote was a shapeshifter. It was Malia Tate. He had to find her. Help her. But he couldn't find any trace of her. Scott couldn't focus his senses and use them as he still didn't fully have control of himself. He was practically racing through the woods blind.

Stiles had wandered off and noticed something in the brush when Scott's roar sounded through the darkness. He moved about, trying to find Scott. Without being able to pick up a scent or hear for movements, Stiles had to rely on blindly running through the trees with the flashlight as his only way of searching for his friend.

The boys ran through the trees and almost bumped into each other. They gave out scared shouts until they realized that it was only each other.

"I think I found something," Stiles said to him.

"So did I," Scott breathed out.

Stiles then moved and led Scott to what he found. It was a small cave where there were a few things scattered about. "It's a coyote den," he explained.

"Werecoyote," Scott corrected him.

A werecoyote. Something new to add to the list of weird and bizarre things that they had come across. Malia had shifted into a coyote and had been the one that attacked her mother and sister. It wasn't a werewolf attack. It was a shapeshifter losing control of itself and had innocent people caught in its crosshairs. When they had first turned, Scott and Stiles had been terrified of finding themselves in something like that and struggled to keep from living that nightmare. But it seemed that the nightmare had been Malia's reality.

Stiles moved over and picked up a small jacket. "You see this? It's Malia's. Remember, it's the one that she was wearing in the photo."

Scott then looked about at the other human things that were gathered in the den. But Scott dropped it. "We shouldn't be in here."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not going to come back now. We just invaded her home," explained Scott. "Our scent is going to be everywhere."

"But…if she's not going to come back here then where is she going to go?"

Scott shook his head. "I don't know."

Stiles gave the den another look. Malia had been a coyote for eight years and had been living here in this place. It shouldn't be too hard to track her now. "Well, at least you have her scent now. She can't get too far."

But Scott shook his head. "Maybe. But…I'm better at this when I'm a full wolf." A pit fell into his stomach. "I'm still worried that if I do it…I won't be able to turn back."

Stiles sighed. "The doors are still open," he said despairingly. Scott's powers were out of his control. His own powers were still gone and haven't showed any sign of coming back to him. They wouldn't be able to get to Malia yet.

"If we can't reach Derek then we have to find someone else to help." Scott gave the place another look. "This is basically a crime scene, right? I think it might be a little out of my boss's league."

Stiles' eyes widened. "More my dad's."

* * *

Soon enough, Sheriff Stilinski had been called and he arrived with a few of his deputies to the coyote den. Scott and Stiles were waiting patiently off to the side watching everyone pour over the entrance to the den. Stiles then went to rub at the side of his head and grunt a little bit.

Scott looked over and narrowed his eyes. "Dude, you okay?"

Stiles still cringed but nodded. "Yeah, it's just a headache," he said dismissively before he let go of his head and returned to watching the den.

Scott kept his eye on him for another second before movement made his look back too. The Sheriff was making his way out, in hand with Malia's jacket. He looked over and saw the boys standing off to the side and watching everything tensely.

He excused himself from his deputies and walked over to them. "Are you sure it was her?"

"I looked her right in the eyes, and they glowed just like mine," Scott told him.

Stiles nodded. "It makes sense dad."

But the Sheriff was shaking his head. "But it wasn't a girl. It…it was a four legged coyote, right?"

"Yeah, but dad, Derek and Cora's mother and sister were werewolves who can shapeshift. They could turn themselves into actual wolves. And I told you all about Peter and how he changed into that creature when he was an Alpha. And…I was supposed to also turn into a wolf beast too."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, Gerard told me that shapeshifting like that is rare. But if Malia could do it, and she did change during the full moon while her mom was driving, anything could've happened."

"Horrible things could've happened," Stiles threw in. "Ripping, shredding, tearing things."

"Which is probably what caused the accident," Scott quickly said after that.

Then Stiles cut in. "Think about it dad. They're driving, Malia starts to change and goes out of control, her mom crashes and everyone dies."

"Except for Malia," Scott finished.

"She blames herself," Stiles realizes. "She goes off into the woods and her guilt keeps her trapped inside the body of a coyote."

The Sheriff's gaze kept switching between the two boys as they told him their theory. After they were finished, he could only nod. "That makes sense." The boys gave him a smile but then the Sheriff's eyes narrowed. "In a Chinese folk tale!" he spat at them. That made them, especially Stiles, stare at him gobsmacked. The Sheriff just shook his head. "I'm sorry boys but this…is insane." He then saw the boys just stare down at their feet looking both disappointed and even a bit aggravated. It reminded him of the night that he had dismissed Stiles after he tried to explain everything right before he was taken by the Darach. That memory made him deflate a bit. He had told Stiles that he was going to try and walk this supernatural road with him. Now here he was, falling to pieces at his first trek down it. He rubbed furiously at his chin. "I need this kept quiet. The two of you, not a word. I don't want anyone hearing about this. I especially don't want Mr. Tate worrying about this."

But Scott turned away from the Sheriff to look behind them. His eyes widened when he saw what seemed like a young Malia being pinned by…himself. He was fully shifted and wolfed out with his claws bared and his red eyes shining. He looked up and let out a deep and primal growl.

"Scott!" he heard from the Sheriff snapping him back.

"You okay dude?" Stiles asked as he saw the dazed look in his eye. He looked over where Scott was looking but didn't see anything but…he knew personally that it didn't mean nothing hadn't been there before.

Scott just shook it off and shrugged. "Sorry. What did you say?" he asked the Sheriff.

But there was a new car pulling up.

The Sheriff gave it one look and deflated. "Oh hell."

When Scott's father and Mr. Tate came out of it, Scott just looked away. He was the last person he wanted to see right now. Especially after the argument they had back at his house. His dad looked over and noticed him there but Scott was determined to not turn and look at him. Meanwhile, Mr. Tate walked over and noticed the jacket in the Sheriff's hand.

"Mr. Tate," he said as the man moved to gently take it from him.

"Mr. Tate?" Agent McCall asked him as the man stared at the jacket in his hand.

"It's hers," he mumbled.

Mr. Tate looked utterly broken at the sight of it which made both Scott and Stiles feel even worse about all of this.

"Alright," sighed Agent McCall. "Wait here."

But before he could move more than a step, Scott moved to stop him. "Dad."

That only made him give him a stern look. "I'll talk to you in a minute. I wouldn't mind hearing how your mom is okay with you running around the woods this late." He then went off to check out the den himself.

The Sheriff glared off as McCall stomped off for the den and then went over to follow after him. Mr. Tate was then taken by another deputy which left the boys alone again.

"This is bad," Stiles mumbled as soon as they were left alone.

"Yeah, I figured," said Scott.

But Stiles shook his head. "No, you don't understand Scott. Now they think that there is a rabid coyote running around. They're sure going to call in Animal Control and try to put it down."

Scott's jaw dropped a bit. He hadn't considered that. Everyone was going to be on the hunt for Malia now. "We have to find Malia first and fast," he realized.

"I know, but how?"

"We have to track her."

"But we can't," Stiles threw in. "I can't track anymore and you're still out of it. Maybe we could get Isaac to help us out?" he suggested.

But Scott shook his head. "No, Isaac will need to get her scent and we won't have time to sneak him here to get it. I think we need someone else. Someone who is an expert in tracking down animals not just by scent."

"Oh great," Stiles sighed. He knew perfectly well who Scott had in mind.

But Scott narrowed his eyes. "Stiles, we need her help."

"I'm not saying we don't Scott. If we have to work with her, fine. If she could help us find Malia before the cops and your father, fine. But just because I'm willing to work with Allison doesn't mean I have to like it or trust her, or her father."

Scott shook his head. "Why?" He just didn't understand. He thought that Allison had more than proven herself to them by now. Especially with how she went into the water with them. Add in the fact that Stiles wasn't a werewolf anymore so he didn't have to be so mistrusting of Allison or her father now.

But Stiles just narrowed his eyes back at Scott. "You just don't get it, do you Scott?"

"Get what?" he said almost shouting and drawing attention.

"Why I don't and won't ever trust them." That made Stiles exhale deeply. "Did you think that just because I'm not a werewolf anymore, that would suddenly change?"

Scott resisted the urge to flinch at how his friend guessed what he had just been thinking. "Stiles, dude I'm sorry but you've just got to get over this already."

But Stiles' eyes fell into a small glare. "Scott, you make it sound like I'm holding a stupid grudge against them because they went and stepped on my foot. Allison's father threatened us, hunted and wanted to kill us. And Allison helped her father kidnap me, hunted Boyd and Erica and then they tortured us. I got stabbed and beaten that night. That's not something I'm just going to 'get over'."

"It was Gerard that stabbed and beat you Stiles." Scott argued back.

"He didn't poison me or kidnap me. That was Allison and her father."

"But they didn't mean it," Scott pressed on. "They were just upset after Allison's mom was killed."

"Because she tried to kill you and Derek and I saved you," Stiles spat back. "And before that, her Aunt Kate killed Derek's family, tried to kill him and us and Allison and her father were helping her. Then Allison was helping Gerard try to kill all of us again, and unlike you, she wasn't faking it. The only reason that it didn't work was because Gerard double crossed her."

Scott deflated a bit at that but kept a stern gaze. "I'm not saying that Allison didn't make mistakes but that doesn't mean that she should be paying for it for the rest of her life."

"Mistakes?" Stiles repeated. "Is that what you're really calling it?"

Scott's face softened a bit but he held his ground. "Allison and her dad know what they did was wrong and they're trying to make things right. Did you forget that they helped us stop the Darach and the Alphas? They could've just looked away, but they didn't."

"Scott we shared a common enemy but just because we worked together one time doesn't mean that we should suddenly be best friends."

"It wasn't just 'one time' Stiles."

"One set of circumstances then. Circumstances that were, again, her own family's fault. Try and remember that Gerard is the one that blinded Deucalion which made him go nuts and start the Alpha Pack, which created the Darach. Technically, that makes it the Argents' fault to begin with. I don't think that Allison and her dad sweeping up their own family's mess should win them brownie points," Stiles spat out.

Scott cringed at the bitter way he just said that. Not only that but he could see a hardness in Stiles' eyes that Scott couldn't ever remember seeing before. He thought Stiles was right on one thing though: He really didn't get it. It was like Stiles was determined to hate Allison and her dad forever. But why? "Is this about my dad Stiles?" he guessed. "Are you angry at them because my dad is using their case to try and get your dad fired?"

"This isn't about your dad Scott. I'm just trying to be safe, that's all."

"Safe? From what? Allison?" Scott was lost now. "Stiles, she doesn't want to hurt us. She wants to help us. Why can't you see that?"

Stiles just pulled and straightened himself up as he shook his head. "Look Scott I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's just focus on finding and turning a girl stuck in a coyote's body back to a girl, okay?" Stiles then moved to head off.

Scott just let out a heated breath but he went on and followed after him. Whatever problems Stiles still had with Allison and her father, they couldn't be handled right now. But...he definitely wouldn't stop trying. He couldn't.

* * *

The Sheriff was stomping behind Agent McCall as they climbed off for the den. "What the hell were you doing, bringing him here?" the Sheriff spat at him when they were far enough from everyone.

"Getting confirmation on a more than significant lead. I'm starting to understand why your department can't close cases," he mockingly said to him before he kept walking off.

But the Sheriff wasn't going to leave it at that. "There's no body. No remains to identify."

But Agent McCall smirked at him. "Not yet, _Sheriff_." He then took his light and peeked into the den. "But, do a little digging and I'm sure you'll uncover something. Like the bones of a nine year old girl." Agent McCall then stomped off but not before giving the Sheriff a smug look.

"I think you'll find it just a little more complicated than that, special agent." If, somehow, the boys were the slightest bit right about Malia, then she was nowhere near this place right now and they would be digging for nothing and wasting precious time.

"C'mon Stilinski, you know how this goes. It's the not knowing that ruins people like Tate. The truth, no matter how profoundly it sucks, the truth is always better than not knowing."

The Sheriff might have to argue on that.

* * *

Scott and Stiles met up with Allison before the start of History class. Scott had called Allison and asked to meet up with them to help with trying to find where Malia might go after leaving her den. Stiles quickly showed Allison the map of the preserve as soon as she came to them.

"Here's where we found the den. It's right in the middle of the hiking trails," Stiles told her stiffly as he pointed it out.

Allison just looked at the map and scrolled the area over. "That could narrow down. Coyotes travel on fixed trails. But, I think you're right about her not going back to the den," she said to Scott. "Coyotes don't like wolves. And they're really smart. If they don't want to be heard they actually walk on their toes."

Stiles widened his eyes. "Coyotes tiptoe?"

"They tiptoe," she nodded. But the bell then rang before they could talk more. "I got to go but send me the pin location."

"Okay," Stiles mumbled after her.

Stiles looked back over at Scott as he shot him a look that plainly read: 'Was that so bad?' Stiles rolled his eyes and walked over to his desk faster. But before Scott could reach his desk, his path became blocked, by Kira.

She smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Kira. You knew that. I knew you knew that. I don't know why I just told you that again. Scott just smiled at her and she shook herself out of it as she went for her bag. "Anyway, I have something for you."

"For me?" Scott said surprised.

"Yeah. About the Bardo. My explanation was sort of all over the place. So I did some research and I printed it out for you."

Scott rubbed uncomfortably at his neck. "You didn't have to do that," he said shyly.

But Kira shrugged as she kept digging into her bag for it. "It only took a couple of hours."

Scott's eyes widened. "Wow, then you really didn't have to do that."

Stiles smirked over at Scott's direction. How Kira was acting and rambling was a lot like how Scott was when he first met Allison. It seemed like the crushing shoes were on the other foot now and his friend didn't know how to handle it.

Kira couldn't seem to find it. "I could've swore I printed it out."

"Kira," Mr. Yukimura said as he walked on over to them with a pile of papers in his hand. "You forgot all that research you did for that boy you like," he said as he handed it to her.

Kira was now mortified as she took the papers from her father. Scott was also mortified to hear that from Kira's father. When they faced each other, they just gave out small smiles as Scott took the research from her and she then quietly moved to take her seat. Scott then went over to take his seat. As he sat, Kira tried very hard to obscure her face with her hands.

But her father was unaware of the tension he made as he began his class. "Alright everyone, let's get started. We were just talking about internment camps and pressures of war. There's a passage in our reading that I'd like to go over. Who would like to come up and read aloud for us?"

Scott wasn't looking at the reading but was starting to look over the Bardo research that Kira prepared for him. It seemed to be quite a lot and he was hoping this would help in resolving the problems that he, Stiles and Allison were having. Maybe it might have some clues on how to navigate through this Bardo state and help him become human again.

Stiles twirling his pen as he stared down at his desk when Mr. Yukimura called for him to come up to the class. "Uh…maybe someone else could?" he asked.

But Mr. Yukimura shook his head. "Everyone participates in my class Mr. Stilinski."

Stiles sighed and got up to head to the front. As he looked down at the book, it started to get blurry. He went and gripped on the stand tightly as he began to see the letters start to fall out of the page as if they were drops of water. Stiles felt a pressure on his head and started swaying on the spot. He looked up at the classroom and saw that it was blurred and spinning. He started to get lightheaded and his breathing started to get very rapid.

Scott felt the sudden change and looked up from his reading to see that Stiles looked close to collapsing on the spot. "Stiles, you okay?" he asked getting up from his seat. But Stiles didn't answer. He just kept breathing hard and gripped on the stand as if it was the only thing holding him up. Scott quickly moved and took hold of him. "I should take him to the nurse's office."

Mr. Yukimura nodded as he looked concerned for Stiles himself.

Scott started to move him for the locker room. He knew that it would be empty right now. As they got there, Stiles quickly pulled away and started to run inside. Stiles seemed to barely be able to keep himself standing on his own feet. Stiles' breathing also was getting more erratic. Like the asthma attacks that Scott used to get.

"Stiles, is this a panic attack?" Scott desperately asked him.

Stiles just spun off and headed for the sink which he gripped tightly. "This is a dream. Just a dream," he panted out.

"No, it's not. This is real!" Scott cried to him.

But Stiles shook his head and looked up at the mirror, towards his own reflection. Stiles caught sight of his eyes, and saw that they were flickering. Flickering their old beta gold. Stiles gasped as he saw his eyes keep flashing on and off until they stayed that way. He then saw his reflection calm down and smile as it backed away from the mirror. It was like looking into a window as he saw his reflection then slowly shift fully into a werewolf. He then began to keep stepping back, away from him.

"No, no, no," Stiles said as he began to grip and scratch at the mirror. He then saw a hand wrapped in gauze reach out from around the corner of lockers, his reflection completely unaware, as it slowly reached out for him as he kept backing up. When it was close enough, it grabbed him the scruff of his shirt and yanked him behind the lockers. out of sight. Stiles then dropped his head back down to the sink as the pressure began to build in his head again and forced him to shut his eyes to try and push it back.

Scott was starting to panic himself. He didn't know if he really understood what was happening to his friend. To him, it looked a lot like how he had acted back when he couldn't keep control during the full moon and he had to run into the locker room. Back then Stiles snapped him out of it. Now he had to be the one to snap Stiles out of whatever this was.

"Stiles, uh…find your anchor. Think of your dad. Think of Lydia. Think of me."

But Stiles furiously shook his head. "It's not the same. This isn't the same. I'm not shifting!" he coughed out. "This is just a dream!"

"This isn't a dream. How can you tell if you're awake or you're dreaming? What do you do?"

"Uh, your fingers," he nearly gagged. "Count your fingers. You have extra fingers in your dreams."

Scott looked at his hands and then held them out to him. "How many do I have?" But Stiles was still keeping his head down and breathing into the sink. "Hey, look at me," he said to Stiles. "C'mon Stiles." Stiles then turned to look at him with his eyes slightly out of focus. "Look at my hands and count with me. Scott held up one finger. "One." He then lifted another.

"Two," Stiles coughed out.

"Keep going," Scott told him. He then held up another.

"Three." Scott put up another. "Four."

"Five," Scott said before raising a finger on his other hand.

"Six." Scott held up another. "Seven."

"Eight," said Scott as he raised another.

"Nine…Ten" Stiles then saw that no more were appearing.

"Ten. Ten," Scott said as he calmly held both his open hands up to him.

Stiles' breathing started to settle and his heart started to slow down. He then moved to lean into the wall and drop down to sit on the floor. "First I'm suddenly not a werewolf anymore and no one really knows why and now I can barely keep myself together! What the hell is happening to me?!" he cried out.

"We'll figure it out. You're going to be okay," Scott promised.

But Stiles shook his head. "Am I?" He then looked at Scott. "Are you?" That actually made Scott look a bit hesitant. "Scott, you can't transform. Allison, she's being haunted by her dead aunt. And I'm straight up losing my mind." He then started shaking his head. "We can't help Malia. We can't help anyone. Not when we can't even help ourselves."

Scott could see that Stiles was starting to give up. "We can try. We can always try." Scott just hoped that would be enough.

Stiles looked away. It felt like another lifetime ago, but he would've gone on and thrown in the classic Star Wars quote in but he didn't have the strength mentally or even physically to. That didn't change the fact that trying wasn't their problem. It was doing it that was the issue.

* * *

The bell rang and everyone in History class started to get up to leave. Kira got up from her seat and saw Scott's backpack still at the foot of his seat. He and Stiles hadn't come back. She went and grabbed his and Stiles' bags and started to move off towards the Nurse's office to bring it to them. She was moving through some empty halls when she froze at what was on the stairs ahead. It was a coyote and it was looking right at her. It then bared its teeth and started to let out a low, threatening growl.

"Oh my god," she cried.

The coyote then broke into a run and Kira quickly dropped the bags and ran into the open locker room nearby and shut the door behind her. She then moved to try and find a place to hide away in the open spaced room. She backed away down an aisle when she heard the class break as the coyote pounced its way through. The coyote started to move through the room, it's howls echoing in the empty room. It was snarling and growling out which made Kira get scared. She moved to try and distance herself away when it got closer but backed up into Scott. She gasped as he grabbed her and moved her behind him as he went and pushed on the lockers to send them flying backwards to try and pin the beast down. They both moved to check but found the coyote was gone.

All they could find was Stiles' backpack, with a doll's head peeking out from the slightly opened zipper.

* * *

Peter's severed finger lingered on the table as Peter and Derek were still bound to the metal fence with a hunter keeping watch over them.

"Uh, I don't want to make it sound like we don't appreciate your hospitality but do you think it might be possible to put that on ice?" Peter sarcastically asked the man. "Maybe something for my hand? Extra-large band-aid? Perhaps some anti-biotic ointment?"

That just made the hunter snort. Derek however, he noticed a bit of movement above them. Suddenly there was a crash which made everyone look up too. Suddenly, there was shooting, a lot of shooting. The bullet casings were falling through the cracks and practically raining down on top of them. The shooting then stopped and there was then some running which went off to head right for their door. The hunter moved for it but it was kicked open and he was quickly disarmed. When he tried to fight the intruder off, he was hit in his side and kicked out of the room.

It was a dark skinned woman. One that Derek recognized.

"You're the one that saved Isaac," he said to her.

"I'm the one that was hired to save Isaac," she corrected.

"And someone hired you to get us out of here?" Peter asked her.

"Someone hired me to get Derek out of here. You, I'm totally fine leaving for dead." She then moved to free Derek from his bindings.

"When did I get this reputation?" Peter asked his nephew.

But Derek kept his gaze on her. "Who hired you?"

"Deucalion," she answered.

"Deucalion?" Peter mumbled. "The guy that did that to you," he said indicating the claw like scars on her neck.

She shrugged. "Girl's gotta eat." She then moved and undid Peter's bindings. He then quickly moved to get back his severed finger. "Alright, let's get out of here."

But Derek shook his head. "We're not leaving without it."

"Without what?" she asked.

The Hale men shared a long look.

* * *

Stiles was walking alongside his father as he and his deputies showed up to try and find the coyote.

"A couple of students said that they saw it running across the field and back into the woods," the Sheriff whispered to him as they walked down the halls. "Thank god nobody got hurt."

"And what happens if she does hurt somebody?" he asked. Malia almost had hurt Kira and would have if Scott hadn't been there in time. What happened the next time that no one was there? "They're not going to do what I think they would, are they?"

His dad sighed. "I'm afraid so. We going to have to put it down."

"Put _her_ down," Stiles corrected. "Dad, try not to forget, there is a girl in there. It's not some run of the mill animal. You'll be killing Malia, Mr. Tate's daughter." But his dad just kept on walking. "Dad, don't tell me that you're back to not believing again?"

But his dad stopped and turned to him. "You know, I believe that there are a lot of things that I don't understand yet," he said in a hurried whisper. "But that doesn't mean that everything and anything imaginable is suddenly possible. I mean…are you really sure that this is a girl and not just an animal?"

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "It's because of me, isn't it? You saw me transform, but now that I don't have my powers anymore, you're starting to think that maybe everything else was just all in your head." Stiles couldn't help the heat in his tone. Given how his own mind was making him see things, but he knew that this wasn't one of them.

"Stiles," his dad started.

But Stiles cut him off. "Scott. Come out where my dad could see you." His dad looked over at the end of the hall where Scott suddenly stepped out into plain sight. Stiles then moved so that his back was facing his friend. "Scott," he said dropping into a whisper so low that his dad almost didn't hear him. "If you've been following everything that we have been saying then nod your head three times." The Sheriff then looked over at the end of the hall and saw Scott nod his head three times like Stiles told him to. "Is it just an animal?" Scott shook his head. "Is that coyote really Malia?" Scott nodded again.

The Sheriff looked away from Scott back at the resolve in Stiles' face. He then nodded. "Alright, let's get this figured out. Come on," he said as he took his son over.

* * *

In the locker room, the deputies and animal control were going over everything as Kira was being fussed over by her father.

"Dad, seriously I'm okay," she said trying to calm him.

"Why were you not headed to lunch like everyone else?" he asked her sternly.

"They left their bags," she explained. "I was just trying to do something nice. You do something nice and you make friends, or so I've heard."

Scott was listening in on their conversation and couldn't help the small smile making its way onto him.

"Scott," Stiles said as he made his way over to him. "I think I know what she was looking for."

In Stiles arms was his bag. And inside the bag was the doll from the car wreck.

Scott gave him a small glare. "You took the doll from the car?" he asked a bit annoyed.

"Yeah, I thought maybe you or Isaac might be able to use it. You know, for like her scent," he tried to explain.

"Where did you get that?" Scott and Stiles looked over and saw Mr. Tate making his way into the locker room but his gaze was on the doll. He then charged in and snatched it right from Stiles' hands. "Where did you find this?!" He then started to fondle it. "It belonged to my daughter," he said more softly.

The Sheriff quickly made his way over to them. "I'm sorry boys," he said moving them back a bit before going to Tate. "Mr. Tate, I don't know how you heard about this. If you have your own police scanner or what, but you can't be here."

He then went to take the doll but Mr. Tate pulled it out of his way. The Sheriff stopped as he could understand why he would keep it. But, his eyes narrowed as he noticed a bulge at the man's side and moved his jacket slightly to see that there was a gun holster strapped to him. The sight of the gun made the Sheriff, Scott and Stiles' eyes widen.

"I have a permit," Tate explained.

The Sheriff narrowed his eyes. "California schools are gun-free zones, permit or no permit. You need to leave Mr. Tate, now," he said when it looked like the man was going to argue some more.

A deputy tried to go for him but Mr. Tate pulled his arm back and glared at the Sheriff. "You find that animal. You find that thing!" he spat before he ran off.

Scott and Stiles then shared a look. They both could guess what Mr. Tate was going to do. He was going to go and try to find and kill that coyote himself. He was going to unknowingly hunt for his own daughter.

* * *

Allison went to the study where she removed a hidden compartment in the floor and brought out a case. She lifted it to the desk and opened it to reveal a sniper rifle. With the investigation that had been started by Stiles' father and later picked up by Scott's father they had to be careful where they put their more…special weapons. Allison glared as she held the gun. The last time she had used this…was the night that she and her father captured Stiles during the final lacrosse game. Allison shook herself from that memory and went to send a text to Scott saying that she got it.

At the animal clinic, Scott got the message as Deaton came out of the supply closet. He had Stiles and Isaac with him. They finally brought him in and brought him up to speed with everything going on with Malia and he said that he would help any way he could.

"Xylazine. It's a tranquilizer for horses. For a werecoyote, expect it to work in seconds. We only have three so whoever's shooting needs to be a damn good shot."

"Allison's a perfect shot," Scott said.

"Uh, she used to be," Isaac corrected.

Stiles' jaw tightened a bit. He couldn't help but think it annoyingly ironic that the hunter's accuracy, when it was needed to try and save a shapeshifter, started to act up.

"She could do it," Scott insisted.

"If we manage to find the thing," Isaac said not skipping a beat.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "We brought you here to help us. Not for you to annoy us with persistent negativity and a scarf," he said eyeing the one that Isaac had wrapped around his neck. "What is up with the scarf anyway? It's 65 degrees out."

Isaac just gave him a smug sort of look. "Look, maybe I'm just saying the things and asking the questions that no one wants to say out loud. Like how do we turn a coyote back into a girl when she hasn't been a girl for eight years?" he said with some seriousness leaking out.

Everyone else tensed up. Isaac had a real point.

But Scott raised his head up. "I could do it."

Stiles narrowed his eyes in confusion. "You can?"

"Yeah, remember the night when Peter trapped us in school? He made the two of us turn using just his voice. And Deucalion did the same thing to me at the distillery."

"This is a werecoyote Scott," Deaton cut in. "Who knows if it will even work if you could find someone to teach you."

"That's why you called Derek first," Stiles realized.

"I could do it on my own," Scott suggested but his face fell a bit. "But, right now, I'm too scared to change into a werewolf."

Stiles sighed. "We need a real Alpha." Scott gave him a look and Stiles rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. An Alpha that could do Alpha things. An Alpha that could get it going. Get it-"

"Up?" Isaac guessed.

Stiles nodded. "Right."

"Great. I'm an Alpha with…performance issues."

Scott saying it like that made it the whole thing seem sadder though…a little amusing if Stiles and Isaac thought about it.

"Is there anyone else that you think could help?" Deaton asked the boys.

"I wouldn't trust Peter," Isaac threw in.

Stiles nodded. "Maybe the twins," he suggested.

But Deaton shook their heads. "They're not Alphas anymore. After what Jennifer did, almost killing them, it broke that part of them."

Stiles understood that but he still thought it was the best option. "Yeah, but they were still Alphas. What if they actually knew how to do it? They might be able to teach Scott how to do it himself."

Scott thought it was a good idea but there was one flaw. "No one seen them in weeks," he said.

But Stiles straightened up. "Uh, well actually, that's not totally true." That made Scott and Isaac give him a look.


	4. More Bad Than Good part 2

Chapter 4: More Bad Than Good part 2

Stiles quickly put in a call to Lydia and arranged a meeting. He and Scott drove off to the front of Derek's loft where she was waiting for them.

"They'll do it," she said as got out of the car.

Soon they were sliding the big metal door and Lydia walked right in but she was confused as the place looked empty.

Stiles moved to stand next to her. "Where are they?"

Lydia shook her head. "They said they'd meet us here," she said as she kept checking around.

Scott was still waiting by the door but he was then struck at the face from both sides before he was then grabbed and thrown off into the center of the room. Stiles and Lydia looked up to see both Ethan and Aiden as they jumped down and then began to pound on Scott. Stiles started to move for them but Lydia went and grabbed his arm, pulling and keeping him with her. Stiles grit his teeth. He wouldn't be able to do anything against the Twins. Not now, like this. He could only watch as they kept clobbering Scott before they finally let him go to fall like dead weight to the ground.

Scott started to roll about on the floor, groaning as the pain set in. "I thought you guys were going to teach me to roar," he coughed out.

"We are!" spat Aiden. "You do it by giving in."

"Giving in and letting go, that's how Deucalion taught us control," added Ethan before he reached down and pulled Scott back to his feet.

Stiles' eyes widened though. "You know, it's funny. I actually tried something just like this for Scott one time using a heart monitor and lacrosse balls but, hey you're right. Beating the living crap out of him is probably a lot better."

Aiden gave him a look. "You were a natural at controlling yourself. Both in and out of the shift. Scott isn't so he just needs more…motivation."

Scott spat out some blood. "Motivation? That's what this is? You kick my ass to get me to learn how to roar?"

Ethan glared at him. "It's not that you can't control it Scott. You're afraid to turn, so, we're going to make you."

His brother nodded. "You turn, and then you'll kick our asses."

"And then you roar," Ethan said right before Aiden turned and roared at him revealing his new bright blue eyes which made Scott flinch. Ethan noticed it. "You don't think you can let go with us," he said in a taunting tone of voice.

Aiden moved behind Scott and pushed him. "You think you're going to hurt us?"

Scott fell towards Ethan who pushed him just like his brother did. "C'mon McCall, give it your all. We could always heal."

Scott went and threw a punch for Ethan but it was half-hearted and he easily caught it. He then went and sent a hard punch right into Scott's gut before sending another punch at his face.

"You're an Alpha," Aiden said after throwing a punch at Scott. "You want to roar like one then you have to give in full throttle. Become the beast, become the monster, everything that you're afraid of."

"That's what gives you power, gives you strength," Ethan finished.

Stiles just watched from where he stood and he couldn't help but stare at what was going on. Scott threw another slow and weak punch at the Twins that even Stiles, as he was, could've easily dodged or even caught. In a deep pit of his stomach, Stiles felt sick and angry at the sight of Scott being so…pitiful. Even though his senses weren't as enhanced as before, Stiles could still see, from how Scott was moving, that he was not really trying. It wasn't really fear, not really…it was hesitation. Stiles could see that Scott was putting as much effort in pushing his wolf back as he was trying to bring it to the surface. Scott didn't seem to want to try and tap into his power at all for some reason. Even after Aiden sent a kick at Scott's stomach and made him fall to the ground spitting up a heap of blood.

"Giving into it doesn't make you the bad guy," Aiden spat down at him.

"So long as you could control it," Ethan muttered.

"And sometimes control is a little overrated!" Aiden roared out before kicking Scott again while he was still down.

Stiles shook his head. "Dammit Scott, fight back," he said to himself knowing that Scott would be able to hear him.

But Scott just managed to barely sit up from where he was as he held his chest in pain. "And what if I can't control it?" he choked out. "What if I can't turn back?"

"Then it takes over," Ethan quickly answered. "You become Malia. You become further and further away from being human. You turn into an animal…or worse."

"You turn into Peter," said Aiden.

Scott then had a mental flash of the monstrosity that Peter turned into back when he was an Alpha. That sent a chill down Scott's spine. He straightened himself up and stared the Twins down. For a second, everyone thought that he was finally going to give in. To shift and beat them down as a real Alpha would. But Scott then ran at them, in a typically angered human fashion, which Aiden was easily able to counter as he threw him on the table. He then went and proceeded to beat Scott down. Lydia gasped as Aiden began to brutally pound on Scott and Stiles moved to cover her eyes as he glared off at the wolves.

"Scott!" Stiles roared out at him. "Scott! Fight back! Scott!"

But Scott just stayed there and kept taking Aiden's punishment. He didn't do anything to try and get himself out of this.

Ethan then moved and grabbed Aiden's arm stopping him. "That's enough," he said to his brother.

Aiden glared at him. "I thought we were helping him."

"You help too much."

Aiden then looked down at Scott and saw him just looking bloody and beaten on the table. The sight made Aiden calm down and he leapt off the table to stand next to his brother. Stiles and Lydia moved to get a closer look at Scott. He turned to look over at them. Lydia looked mortified to see him like that but Stiles just sighed and looked a bit disappointed.

Scott closed his eyes. He couldn't do it. He couldn't give in…because he didn't want to. Scott felt like he was in a no win situation. If he didn't give in, then Malia would be hunted down and would get killed. It would be his fault. But, if he did give in…there was a chance that it could cost him the last chance he might ever had to be human again. His door was still open and if he tightened the hold on his inner wolf then he might never be able to get rid of it like Stiles had. Scott was lost on what to do.

* * *

Henry Tate was over at the front porch of his home, prying open a steel jawed bear trap. As soon as it was open all the way, he reached over and took a thick block of wood and set it down right over it. As soon as it hit the trigger, the trap closed and locked itself right on it. The hard look on the man's face only tightened at the sight.

* * *

Stiles was sitting in his room, silently going over everything that happened tonight. Scott couldn't reign it in. He couldn't be the Alpha. Couldn't…or wouldn't. He was too scared. But for some reason, Stiles felt it was more than Scott being afraid to hurt someone or not control what he would do. He didn't want to be an Alpha. Stiles could understand that seeing as the Alphas that they had met didn't exactly give good impressions of the job. But Stiles knew, after hearing about both Talia and Laura Hale, that an Alpha could be a good and worthwhile person. Scott could be one too, he knew it. If he would accept it.

But then Stiles looked down and couldn't help but wonder…would he have made a good Beast? After all, what he was becoming was what helped give werewolves their whole reputation of being bloodthirsty, limb-ripping monsters. Deaton's story about that Beast of Wolfsburg aside, it all sounded like some kind of fluke to him. Hell, all the best werewolf movies he'd seen had giant and hairy beasts coming out and leaving behind bloody messes until a hero with a rifle came to put them down. It was the lame ones that had werewolves being docile and friendly heartthrobs.

Stiles let out a frustrated breath of air as he went to his window and looked up at the moon. It wasn't full but it was still bright tonight. But even when the moon wasn't full, Stiles always was able to feel something from it. Now…nothing. He closed his eyes, as he tried to remember the feeling. Feeling that pull from the moon that made him, stronger, faster, fiercer, more focused. He could almost remember it perfectly. How it always made him warm inside. Stiles opened his eyes and looked back at the moon again. He stared at it, letting himself remember that feeling as he looked straight at the moonlight. His eyes then widened. He was feeling something. A light but warm feeling sprouting from his heart. Stiles didn't stop. He kept pushing, remembering the feeling and it started to spread. Spread from his heart to his toes, to his hands. Then it went to his head. As soon as it did, Stiles felt a pressure at the side of his brain. It was like a weight was pressing against his skull and Stiles stopped and looked away from the moon when it started to spread all over his head. He crutched over a bit as he started panting. He rubbed at his head to try and soothe the pressure when he saw something fall on his carpet. He focused his eyes on it and saw it was a red spot. Then another followed. He then moved his hand to his face and felt it was wet. He ran to his bathroom mirror and saw that his nose was leaking blood. He panicked and quickly turned the sink on and began to try and scrub his nose clean.

"Stiles!" he heard his dad call out. He was home.

Stiles took some tissues and tried to wipe away any traces of blood over himself and after checking to see that nothing seemed out of place, he went downstairs. He managed to find his dad in the kitchen, going for a bottle of water in the fridge.

"Hey dad, did you find her?" He was relieved to hear that his voice seemed normal.

His dad shook his head. "No. Animal Control hasn't found her yet. A few of them think that the coyote may have been spooked enough to try and head off to a deeper part of the woods. They're going to do a few more rounds into them to see if they can pick up a trail to see if it will head back into the town. If they find it, they are ready to put it down." That made Stiles sigh. "Did you have any luck?"

"Not much," Stiles breathed out. "We're all going to try and track and catch it tomorrow. Scott and Isaac have its scent and Deaton gave us some tranquilizer. When we find it, we'll take it to the animal clinic and try to find a way to help Malia turn back."

The Sheriff couldn't believe that he was actually going to let them try to do all this under his department's nose. But, he had no choice as this was something that he and his department couldn't really handle. "Just be careful out there."

"We will," Stiles promised. He then saw that his dad still seemed bothered. "Dad? Something else wrong?"

His dad looked at him and gestured for him to follow him. They went to the kitchen table and they took a seat. Judging from how it was going, Stiles mentally prepared for the worst.

But his dad held his hand up. "No, not wrong. At least, I don't think so. I found something."

"What?"

His dad cleared his throat and straightened himself in the chair. "Uh, do you remember the other night when I asked for yours and Scott's help with Malia in front of the Animal Clinic?" Stiles nodded. "Well, after you boys left I had a talk with Deaton."

Stiles widened his eyes. "You did?"

"Since you told me that he knew so much about all of…well this, I thought he might know something about what happened to the Tates that night. He told me that Talia Hale knew the Tates?"

Stiles nearly fell off his chair in shock. "Wait, Derek and Cora's mother? She knew them. When? How?" he asked trying to straighten himself back up.

But his dad just shrugged his shoulders. "He wouldn't say. Said that the situation was complicated."

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Yep, that sounds like Deaton all right. Says a lot but doesn't say much. Usually, it's always complicated. We're kinda getting used to that."

His dad nodded. "Yeah, anyway, he told me that Talia Hale had tried to find who had attacked them."

"Wait, attacked them? I thought Malia caused the accident when she just lost control during the full moon and shifted in the car."

"No, it was an attack. That's what Deaton told me though he told me to let it go. But, it got me thinking: about what you and Scott were telling me about Malia's…thing being rare."

"Shapeshifting," Stiles said.

"Right. If Talia did know the Tates then there might be something that explained how Malia could do it. From how you and Scott talked about it, it sounded like Malia had to have been a werewolf"

"Werecoyote," Stiles cut in. His dad raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, I know."

"Well, it sounded like she had to have already been a…werecoyote even though she was only nine so I did some digging into their family records to see if Malia might been involved in an animal attack before that and…that's when I found something interesting."

Stiles leaned in. "What? Dad, what did you find?"

"Malia…she's adopted."

Stiles leaned back into his chair. Malia was adopted. That changed everything.

"So…Mr. Tate and his wife, they aren't her real parents."

The Sheriff shook his head. "No, they're not. And if Talia Hale was keeping tabs on them…"

"Then that means that Malia didn't get turned into a shapeshifter…she was born one. Did you find out who her real parents are?"

"No, the records are sealed. I can't get into them without a warrant." The Sheriff then remembered Deaton's warning. "Stiles, listen to me. I need you to keep this quiet for now."

"Can I at least tell Scott and the others?"

But his dad shook his head. "No. We don't know how deep this goes. I don't want to make things more complicated than they already are, and god knows how much it is already. Besides, I don't want it getting back to Deaton that I'm looking into this."

Stiles sighed but he nodded. He wasn't sure about keeping it from Scott but he knew that it wouldn't be the first thing he kept to himself. Besides, his best friend already had enough things on his mind.

* * *

Isaac took the tranquilizer to Allison and helped her put them into her darts so she could load them into her rifle. Allison brought out a box of custom made tranquilizer darts for the rifle to fill up.

Isaac went and took one out and held it between his thumb and forefinger and brought it in front of him. "How many of these do you think we'll be able to load?"

"A half dozen at least," Allison sighed out. "I just hope I can make the shot."

"You'll make it," Isaac said confidently. Isaac gave the darts another look. "Have you've used these before? I swear this looks familiar."

Allison fought the urge to flinch. "Yeah. That night…on Stiles." The way that Allison looked down at the box and started to make the syringes ready told Isaac that she didn't want to talk anymore about that and he didn't either so he didn't say another word about it. "Do you think you could hone in on Malia?" she asked him, trying to get back on track. "She might not be in the woods for very long."

Isaac gave a slight nod. "Mr. Tate took back the doll that Stiles took before I could see it but, I managed to find something to give me a pretty good lock on her scent. It's actually pretty strong."

Allison narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

Isaac looked straight at her. "Pee."

Allison stared back at him, unsure if she should cringe or laugh. She settled for just finishing with loading the tranquilizer darts. But as she was picking up the last bottle, she found her hand shaking as she tried to get the needle inside. Isaac noticed and when he asked if she was okay, she ended up dropping the bottle and it rolled under the table. She shot Isaac a small annoyed look before she bent down to try and get it. She quickly found it and picked it up but when she got back up, she didn't see the office. She found herself at the hospital. It looked like she was in an operating room. She looked over and saw that there was a gurney in the middle of the room with a tarp covered body on top of it. Allison slowly moved for it and went to uncover it. She ripped it away and, next thing she knew, she was laying on the gurney herself. She was looking up into lights as a couple of doctors were staring down at her.

One of them was just finishing putting her gloves on. "M.E. marked the cause of death an animal attack but the authorities are waiting for confirmation by autopsy. Personally, I think it might've been something a little…stranger." The doctor removed her facemask revealing her to be her Aunt Kate. Allison then looked down to see that her chest was ripped open and her organs were fully exposed. Kate then dipped her hand and picked up her still beating heart and shrugged it off. "There's definitely something wrong with it," she said as she tossed the heart to the side. "The rest of the organs look pretty good though."

One by one, the rest of the doctors removed their facemasks and revealed rows of sharp, flesh-tearing teeth. Even Kate had sharp teeth on her. As one, they all began to move in and begin to devour her.

"Allison!"

Allison widened her eyes as she saw Isaac was holding his hands out to try and shield himself. She looked down and saw that she had the sniper rifle loaded and pointed right at him. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she said quickly moving to put it down. Even though the gun was out of her hands, Isaac still had his hands up and looked scared. "I'm so sorry," she said again quickly. "I don't know what I was doing. I'm sorry."

Isaac finally put his hands down but Allison turned around and tried not to look at him. Isaac was able to easily smell the fear and shame she was giving off.

"Well…it's better than ring daggers I guess," he joked, trying to loosen the tension.

It didn't.

Allison just looked down at her shaking hand holding a bottle of the tranquilizer. "How am I supposed to help anyone like this? What am I supposed to do?"

Isaac moved to stand beside her and lightly took it and stopped her shaking. "Let me help you," he said softly to her. He then took the bottle from her grasp. "Show me what to do," he whispered to her.

Allison looked up at him and sighed out in resignation.

* * *

Sheriff Stilinski quickly slammed the steel jawed trap onto Mr. Tate's table.

"A jogger on her early morning run almost stepped into this," he said, trying very hard not to explode at this man. "Now, you want to tell me _exactly_ how many of these you put out there?"

Mr. Tate just looked silently at him for a moment before his gaze went to the other room. The Sheriff noticed it and then went stomping off.

"Sheriff, hold on," Tate said moving to try and stop him.

But he didn't stop. Sheriff Stilinski entered the room and his eyes widened at the amount of empty boxes that were in there. There had to be over a dozen of them.

"My god, some kid could get trapped in one of these." He then turned to look at Tate, seething. "Some kid could die in one of these!" He then had a horrifying thought. Stiles and his friends were trying to find Malia and would probably be wandering the woods right now. They wouldn't know to be careful of the traps. Scott and Isaac were werewolves and could heal…but the others…Stiles. He remembered seeing Stiles cut his hand in front of him and it healed. He also knew that they had been shot, clawed, bitten and stabbed as well but they had healed from them. Stiles had managed to heal from his time being tortured by the hunters. This time, Stiles wouldn't heal. If he got caught in one of these. "My kid could die!" he roared out at Tate as soon as that horrifying thought entered his mind.

"My kid did die. Mine," Tate said back to him in a small voice.

But the Sheriff wasn't going to break. Not to him and with this. "You listen to me. We are going out there right now and we are going to disarm _every_ single one. I don't care if it takes all night."

Mr. Tate then looked off and his eyes narrowed as he noticed that the screen door was broken in. "It's in the house," he spat out.

Tate then moved to grab his rifle while the Sheriff went to grab his gun. Tate began to run through the house before he looked out the window and spotted the coyote, with the doll. He then ran outside and the Sheriff ran after him.

"Tate! No, Tate!"

But he didn't listen. He ran out and quickly let a shot out which missed the coyote as it broke into a run. He then let out another as he tried to catch it before it could get away.

* * *

Within the hour, Allison and Isaac were in her car pulling into the preserve at the same time that Stiles' jeep and Scott's motorcycle did. They all got out and looked out in the preserve before tensely looking at one another. Scott saw that everyone seemed to be more on edge than usual. Allison looked nervous, Stiles' face seemed impassive, Isaac seemed kind of lost, and Lydia looked a little hesitant.

"Anyone else thinks that we might be doing more harm than good?" Lydia suddenly asked.

"We're trying to keep a father from killing his own daughter," Scott told her.

"Uh, actually we're trying to keep a guy from killing a coyote, that's actually his daughter, and we don't know how to actually change the coyote back to his daughter."

Isaac's words made all of them get more tense, or in Scott and Stiles' case, annoyed.

"And again with the annoying negativity," Stiles said rolling his eyes.

Isaac just rolled his eyes back at him. "And why are you here again?"

Stiles' eyes narrowed. "I'm actually here to help."

"And how are you going to do that exactly, without you having any of your powers?"

"Enough," Scott said silencing them, before he then looked over at Allison. "Did you bring it?"

Allison went and opened the trunk of her car and pulled out the sniper rifle. Her eyes went over to Stiles who he saw flinch at the sight of the thing and went to determinedly look away from her.

Scott, however, just nodded at the sight of the gun. He began to prepare his bike to move out into the woods when there an echoing bang sounded through the trees which made all of them stiffen. Then there was another. Gunfire. Scott didn't spare another moment. He put his helmet on and got onto his bike.

"No, Scott, wait, wait!" Stiles said running to him but was not able to stop Scott racing into the woods with Isaac right behind them.

Allison also took off into the woods with her rifle but Lydia saw how Stiles was acting and stayed with him. Stiles sighed as he saw each of the others disappear into the trees. He didn't think it was a good idea to just go running off without knowing what was going on and how it would affect their plan. Stiles looked off in the direction where they all ran into and his jaw dropped a bit. He knew what was that way. He had a hunch and quickly went for his phone.

"Who are you calling?" Lydia asked him.

But Stiles just kept his focus as he prayed that his father picked up the phone, which he did after one ringtone.

"Stiles?" his dad said as soon as he picked up. "Please tell me that you're not in the woods right now."

Stiles gave his surroundings another look but shook his head. "Dad, we just heard gunfire around Mr. Tate's house."

The Sheriff sighed. That meant that they were. "Yeah, I know. Mr. Tate tried to fire at the coyote. It took the doll."

Stiles was taken aback as he stared back at Lydia. "It took the doll again? What the hell is so important about this doll?"

"I don't know, but listen to me Stiles. There are traps all over those woods. Near the trails, probably near the car crash. And Tate's out there too with a rifle. So you and the others have to get out of there, right now!" he said leaving no room for discussion.

"It's the doll," he said to both his father and Lydia.

"What? Stiles-" his dad said at him.

But Stiles hung up and he looked over at Lydia. "It's the _doll_? Why would it go all the way to the school and then back to the house just for a doll? One that was in the car wreck, we didn't find it in the coyote den."

"It likes the doll. Who cares?" Lydia said not seeing anything relevant.

"Yeah, it likes the doll. A lot. Enough to leave the woods and risk going to the school and again to the house. Malia has been in hiding all this time. Hid so well that none of us even knew about her until my dad told us about her. Now all of a sudden, she's everywhere. Everywhere that the doll goes."

Lydia froze. "Yeah," she said slowly. Maybe there was something they were overlooking. "What kind of doll was it?"

He shrugged impatiently. "I don't know. It's a doll. You know, it has little arms, a big baby head, dead soulless eyes. Actually, I took a pic. Here," he said going to his phone as he remembered he took a picture of the photo in Malia's room.

Stiles showed the picture to Lydia and she narrowed her eyes at it. "That's Malia?" she said pointing to the older girl in the photo hugging the younger one.

"Yeah, and that's the jacket and scarf we found in the den."

But Lydia's face widened. "Stiles," she said before pointing at the picture. "She's not holding the doll."

Stiles looked and saw that it was the little girl next to her holding the doll lovingly in her arms. "That's Malia's younger sister." The doll wasn't Malia's, but her sister's. "It was her doll," he muttered. Stiles then looked out into the woods. He remembered talking with his father about how the last batch of flowers they left for his mom at her grave were stolen and his dad telling him that if someone wanted the flowers that badly then they could have them and it was the thought of leaving them there that counted. Just like the doll was left at the car wreck. Malia hadn't been coming out of hiding from the woods until Stiles took the doll which she immediately tracked at the school. "I know what she's doing," he realized. "I know where she's going."

* * *

Scott rode through the woods on his bike trying to make it to Malia before she was shot down. Unknowingly, he zipped right passed one of Mr. Tate's steel jaw traps.

Isaac and Allison were a little bit behind. They panicked when they heard another gun shot sound through the trees. Isaac then went faster, trying to get a lock on Malia's scent.

Allison was running behind her but was falling behind. "Isaac, wait!" she tried calling out to him.

But Isaac wasn't slowing down. He detected a hint of Malia's scent, along with the smell of fresh gun powder and he picked up the pace. He couldn't slow down now. He looked back to send an apologetic look Allison's way. But, as he was looking back, he didn't see what he was running into. The next thing he knew, he felt an excruciating pain run through him as his leg was caught a jawed trap. His scream then ran out through the trees almost as loud as the gunshot.

* * *

Scott was still riding but he then heard Isaac's cry of pain which made him lose focus and crash his bike. Scott tried to get his bike up again but it wasn't starting up again. Something must've happened when he crashed. His ears stiffened when he heard another gunshot. He threw off his helmet to try and get a clearer read on his senses. He could smell blood, Isaac's blood. He could also smell Malia's scent, with the smell of gunpowder close to it. He had to get to her first, but, he couldn't use his bike. Which meant that he would have to run. Scott ran off through the trees and felt something stir with him, just like the other night when he found Malia. Something inside of him, clawing at him to be free.

* * *

Allison ran off even harder but froze in terror when she saw Isaac crutched down, with the trap visibly clamping on his leg. He was trying to pry it open but it's grip was too strong. Already, his pant leg was darkened and his hands were caked by his own blood.

Allison ran to try and kneel by him but Isaac shook his head. "Allison, there he is!" he choked out. Allison quickly looked through her targeting scope on her rifle and quickly found Mr. Tate, with his rifle firmly on hand. He was trying to lock onto Malia who was within his sight. "Hit Tate," Isaac quickly said to her. "Use the tranq gun on him."

"Okay," she before moving to aim.

But Allison gasped as soon as she looked through the targeting scope. She wasn't seeing Mr. Tate's back. She was seeing Stiles' back. He was in his lacrosse jersey and seemed completely unaware that there was a gun filled with tranquilizer darts being aimed at him…just like that night.

"What are you waiting for Allison? You've got a clear shot." It was her Aunt Kate's voice and it sounded like it was coming from right behind her right ear. "Shoot already, geez!"

Allison let out a small scream as she let the rifle go and it hit the ground and went off, let out a shot and the dart went flying into the trunk of a tree quite a bit aways from Tate.

"Allison!" Isaac quickly grabbed the gun from the ground and held it out to her. "Focus!"

Allison shook her head as if she pushed away her daze. "What?"

"You have to take the shot!"

Allison looked down at the gun in his bloodied hands and then shook her head. "No, I can't."

"Yes, you can!" he said through clenched teeth. "Breathe and focus." He looked straight into her eyes as he narrowed his own. "You can do this."

Isaac held the gun out to her even fiercer and Allison swallowed nervously before she took it back. "Okay," she said as she aimed it again. This time, she saw Tate and he was aiming his own rifle. This rifle, the last time she used it was for hunting someone down. Her aim was perfect when she took the shot. What came from her taking that shot then had not been such. But, she had been following a code that ended up doing more harm than good. She then remembered her new code. "Nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes," she chanted under her breath. Their new code: We protect those who cannot protect themselves. She wasn't going to hunt. She was going to protect. Starting with protecting Malia from getting shot by her father and protecting Mr. Tate from shooting his own daughter. She then lifted her eyes away from the lens and then pulled the trigger.

The dart flew and Mr. Tate stiffened as he felt a sharp pain. He had just enough time to look at the dart in his arm before he dropped his rifle and fell to the ground in a heap. Isaac let out a relieved gasp as he caught Allison's eye. She then moved to aim her rifle again, but saw that the coyote was gone.

* * *

Stiles and Lydia were walking through the woods as he led the way for where he knew the car wreck would be. Stiles tried to reach Scott but only managed to get his voicemail.

"Scott, it's me. You have to call me back as soon as you can. It wasn't Malia's doll, it was her sister's. Malia left it at the car for her sister. It's like bringing flowers to a grave and we went and stole the flowers. That's all she's trying to do. Bring the flowers, the doll back to the grave. To the car wreck. That's where she's headed, the car wreck."

"Stiles," Lydia called out.

"Yeah?" Stiles asked as he hung the phone up.

Stiles then turned and saw that Lydia was frozen in fear. She was looking down and Stiles looked down as well to see that she was stepping in a steel jawed trap.

Lydia was starting to freak. "Stiles!" she cried as she shook and the trap moved a bit.

Stiles quickly held his hand up to her. "No, Lydia, don't move!" he told her quickly.

He had completely zoned out when his father warned him about the traps and he should have warned Lydia. He should've warned Scott in the message he sent out. What if he got stuck in one too?

Lydia tried to keep as still as she could. "Look for a warning label," she said tensely to him.

"Warning label?"

"Instructions on how to disarm it," she said back to him with some bite.

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Lydia, why the hell would they put instructions on the bottom of a trap?"

"Because animals can't read," she nearly screamed out.

Stiles spared a moment to realize that actually made sense before he bent down to try and find the instructions. But, when he found the label, it was in gibberish. "Lydia, we've got a problem. I…can't read either."

Lydia's face tightened up but she clenched her teeth and shook her head. "You know what, forget the instructions. You don't need them. When was the last time you ever had to use instructions Stiles?" Stiles looked up at her. "Am I right? You never needed them. I mean, when you and Scott first turned, no one needed to explain it to you. You figured out what was happening to you two all on your own. You learned how to control it and even how to use your abilities, all on your own. Hell, you're the one that figured out how to teach Scott to finally control himself. You never needed instructions because you can't afford to waste time on them. You're too smart for them." She then took a deep breath as her eyes started to water a bit. "Stiles, you're always the one that figures it out…so you can do it. Figure it out."

Stiles narrowed his eyes as he felt the truth and pride in Lydia's words. He took a deep breath and looked down at the trap and saw something glimmer at the side but was covered by leaves. He moved them to see that it was a round lever. Probably to fasten or loosen the grip of the jaws to open and set the trap.

"Okay," he muttered as he gave the trap another look. "Okay, here we go. Ready?" he asked her right before he put his hand on the dial. Lydia gave him a small nod and he nodded back. "Here we go."

He then went and quickly turned the knob and then Lydia moved to remove her foot from the trap as Stiles went to catch her. They then watched as the trap then closed shut about two seconds after her foot stepped off it. Lydia's grip on Stiles was super tight as she kept her scared gaze on the trap and Stiles squeezed back.

* * *

Scott kept running off for Malia. He could feel that he was starting to get closer. However, the longer he ran, the more wild he became on the inside. He could feel his wolf starting to be brought more to the surface. Scott nearly stopped running when he felt the feeling get stronger. In the back of his still rational mind, he knew that this was the point of no return. If he did this, fully tap and let it come out, he would never get rid of it. His chance to be human, to be cured of all of this, probably would be lost to him forever. But…if he didn't do this, then Malia could be lost forever. He made his decision…and picked up the pace. Already, he could feel it pulling at him, causing him to shift. He came across a small ravine and caught sight of Malia. He then jumped across the ravine to cut the coyote off. Malia stopped right in front of him. Scott stared her down before he went and then let go. He roared, as hard and loud as he could.

Isaac looked up at the distance with his golden eyes shining at the Alpha's call.

Stiles heard the roar too and let out a relieved breath. "Now that's what I'm talking about," he said with a small amount of relief and pride.

Malia's eyes glowed blue at Scott before she backed away from him a bit. She then bowed her head down. Next thing he knew, Scott was now looking at a naked young girl. A human girl. A human Malia. He did it. He was able to make Malia shift back.

* * *

After helping Isaac out of the trap, and carrying Mr. Tate back to his house, Stiles quickly called his father. He came to them and took both him and Malia with him in his police van. Scott, Allison and Isaac volunteered to go and comb the woods for the rest of the traps as they settled the final part of all of this. They went over to Tate's house after they were sure that the tranquilizer would have worn off and the Sheriff knocked on the door. Mr. Tate made his way to the door and the Sheriff pulled Malia into view.

"Mr. Tate."

Tate gave one look from him to the girl. He looked into her wide eyes and his widened as well. "Malia?" was all he could get out before the two of them went and embraced in tears.

It was hard to believe that Malia wasn't really his daughter from watching them. Anyone would've believed that they were really flesh and blood from the love and comfort they were bringing each other in that moment. The Sheriff stepped back to give them some space before he looked back and gave a nod to his son.

Stiles gave his dad a thumbs up to his dad as well as a small grin. Stiles then looked down and noticed that the writing on the mirror was completely readable to him. He went and stared at it and realized that they weren't moving or fading away but staying the same. He could read normally again!

They then went to the station and when it was announced that not only that coyote was taken cared of but that Mr. Tate was reunited with his daughter, the Stilinskis were treated to a speechless and beat down Agent McCall. His associates then removed some of the files, as well as announced that Stilinski's impeachment case will be shelved for the time being. While it meant that Agent McCall would still be around, it meant that he wouldn't be able to remove the Sheriff as quickly and efficiently as he had wanted. After McCall left the office, the Sheriff slammed it shut right behind him before he and his son shared a satisfied grin.

* * *

Braeden followed Derek and Peter to the hunters' storage room. They looked around until Derek came upon a locked wooden chest but when he went to try and open it, he felt a force sting and repel his hand. Peter and Braeden went to stand beside him.

"It's made from a Rowen tree. Its mountain ash wood," Peter explained. Braeden then took her gun and slammed down on the lock, breaking it. She then lifted the lid and revealed that it was full of black dust. "And that would be just mountain ash. Someone really doesn't want our hands in there."

Derek and Peter just stared at the ash before they then looked over at Braeden. She rolled her eyes at them before she went and dug her hands inside. She then pulled out a wooden cylinder buried underneath. The lid had a triskelion carved into it.

* * *

Stiles walked into his room and shut the door behind him before he went to softly lay on his bed. He let out a small content breath as he moved his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Scott seemed to have finally conquered his fear of being the Alpha. He remembered the smile on his face when he saw Malia off with them. He had done that for her and it looked he was starting to accept being the Alpha. From what Isaac had told him, it looked like Allison also was starting to get through with losing focus of her hunter skills as her shot hit Tate dead on and was no longer shaking when she held her weapons. Stiles wouldn't say that he was completely happy with that but it seemed like it…could be a win. It seemed that, maybe, not only Malia was saved but they were too. It looked like their doors were closed.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Stiles heard a soft creaking sound. He looked and saw that his door was moving open but stopped. Like the wind had just blown it…ajar. Stiles went and got up as he slowly went over to it. Stiles stared at the ajar door and he moved to grasp the handle but stopped just before he touched it. Stiles stared from the doorknob to the small amount of darkness that he could see on the other side of it. He shut his eyes and then moved to push the door closed. He took a moment to lament on the fact that he might not be able to turn himself back to a werewolf again but he knew that he couldn't keep this door ajar and let his mind be on the brink for the slim chance that it could turn him back. Maybe...he could find another way. A safer way for himself and for everyone else.

Stiles then went to turn around when his eyes widened a second before a gauze covered hand grabbed him at his head, covering his eyes. He then felt some warm, decaying breath settle on his cheeks as he was pushed against the door.

"How do you know when its the right time to close a door?" a low voice lightly purred into his ears. Stiles was too frozen in shock and fear to make a sound. "When you're sure that you're on the right side," it answered with dark humor oozing from its tone.

The grip on Stiles' head tightened before it went and pulled him away. That made Stiles audibly scream.

Stiles then sat up in his bed, but he wasn't screaming. He just stared blankly around the room, as the moonlight was able to illuminate his now dark eyes.

* * *

Over at the Nemeton, there seemed to be a sprout growing in on its center. A person with a flashlight moved towards it with a gloved hand and then yanked the sprout out. After walking away from it, fireflies started to fly out from within the tree trunk. A swarm of them. They then moved off to form shadowy human-like shapes.


	5. Galvanize

Chapter 5: Galvanize

Derek got out of the airport gate with his bag along with his uncle and the other people leaving the plane. He was on the phone, with his sister.

"Alright, we've landed and after we pick up the car from the lot we'll be back in Beacon Hills. Now, are you sure about staying because I can wait here for you."

Even though Derek couldn't see her, Cora rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. It's not my home anymore. It's not our home anymore," she quickly corrected. "I don't know why you're so eager to go back."

"I have unfinished business here." Derek then looked down at his bag as he unzipped it to look down at the wooden cylinder inside of it before he zipped it back up. "Just please be careful and call me if anything comes up."

"Don't worry about me Derek. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, but it's not just you anymore, is it?" he said a little stiffly.

There was a small pause and Derek could hear his sister take a deep breath. "We'll be fine Derek. I promise," she said to him more softly. "And please keep quiet about all of this, especially to _him_. I'm sure he has enough to deal with."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Talking isn't exactly the first thing on my mind when I see him. I see myself ripping his throat out, with my teeth."

"Derek," Cora said sternly over the phone.

Derek's face softened a bit at that. Cora just sounded exactly like Laura did when she said his name to make him stop. "Fine…I won't tell him. And I'll, try, to not hurt him…too badly."

"I guess that's the best I can hope for from you," she said sighing in defeat.

He shrugged. "Yeah, probably. Well, I gotta go. Bye Cora." He then stopped as he hung up the phone and stared at it.

Peter then stopped beside him. "Are you really not going to say anything? Personally, it doesn't really matter to me if he knows or not. This all is ranked too high on classic cliché teenage drama for my tastes."

Derek gave him an annoyed side look. "No…at least, not yet. Besides, that's not why we're back here."

He then walked off and Peter rolled his eyes before he followed after him through the halls that were decorated for Halloween. They passed a flatscreen mounted in a concession bar that had a news reporter talking before his image was replaced by a pale looking man with short curly hair. A headline underneath his picture read: **Committed Convict William Barrow Removed From Institution**.

* * *

Over at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, an ambulance pulled to the hospital in the middle of a police escort. Agent McCall came running to the entrance to the driver of the ambulance.

"Bring him around back," he ordered the man. "And keep it quiet. No one needs to know except those that are absolutely necessary." The ambulance then moved off to go around for the back and Agent McCall headed back inside.

The front desk was being decorated by Melissa who was putting a lit jack-o-lantern and she looked up when the doors were thrust open as the Sheriff stomped on in, not at all happy. She then saw that he was about to cross with her ex-husband. "Oh, here we go," she muttered.

"Hey," the Sheriff said to McCall. "He is not coming in."

"This is the only hospital that will take him," Agent McCall said to him calmly but unflinchingly.

"What about County?" the Sheriff tried.

"You'd be surprised how fast things fill up when a guy like this needs surgery."

"They turfed him to us?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah," the Sheriff grunted out. "If county didn't want to operate on him-"

"Then someone has to," Agent McCall cut in.

They then looked over as a gurney was moved in, with the guy fully strapped to it and two police guards following right behind it.

Melissa watched as it passed them. "Someone has to do his prenup interview."

"Who usually does that?" Agent McCall asked.

She sighed. "Me."

Melissa walked off and got the paperwork for the physical and headed off to the room with her ex walking in step with her.

"Try to keep in mind what this guy is capable of," he told her as they walked. "He's a former electrical engineer that decided to walk onto a school bus with a shrapnel bomb. He left four students dead and a fifth with no legs."

Melissa lost her breath for a moment there before she shook herself out of it. "Just out of curiosity, have _any_ of his psychiatrists made _any_ progress?" she asked him skeptically.

He shrugs. "I'm told that he says the same thing every day. When he gets out, he's going to do it again. And next time he's going to get it right."

Melissa gave a good look at the door to Barrow's room and took a deep breath. She then entered it and approached him to begin the interview.

"Mr. Barrow, do you understand that scar tissue has formed around a piece of shrapnel from your previous injury and that it is now blocking vital functions?"

Barrow was just looking at her blankly and hardly moved when he answered, "Yes."

"Do you understand that we must put you under general anesthesia tomorrow morning to remove the obstruction?" she asked as tensely as before.

Barrow swayed his head a bit. "Do kids still pull pranks the day before Halloween?"

"You mean Mischief Night?" she asked. She knew that from hearing of Scott's laughing accounts of the last couple of years that they always look forward to somebody trying to one up the pranks from the previous year.

"Where I'm from, we called it 'Hell Night'." He said before smiling a bit at her. "And yes, I understand."

Melissa took another deep breath. "Do you have any…allergies to medications?"

Barrow shook his head. "No."

"Are you taking any medications other than the ones listed here?" She then moved closer to him to read them off as the armed guard moved closer as well.

"I just, take what they give me," he told her.

She then turned to the guard. "I'm going to need to listen to his heart," she told him.

The guard nodded as she grabbed a stethoscope. The guard and his partner moved in and tightened the hold of their guns as Melissa opened his shirt and prepared the knob. She then went to put it to her chest to listen to his heart and told him to breathe in and out for her. But in the middle that, he lifted his head up from the pillow, slowly, and stared right at her. Melissa finally looked away and caught his pale eyes.

"Why don't you ask me the question you _really_ want to ask?" he said to her softly.

Melissa froze for a minute before she looked over at him with narrowed eyes. "Why did you do it?"

"I saw their eyes. Their eyes…were glowing." That made Melissa back away a bit. "I saw them. I saw their eyes!" he roared at her as he tried to force himself closer.

Melissa jumped away as the guards then moved in to tighten the restraints even harder on him. His raving about him seeing the glowing eyes began to echo into the hallways of the hospital.

* * *

Stiles was quietly making his way through the locker room at the school that night. He caught sight of Coach's office and then whipped out his phone and dialed up Scott.

"Get your ass down here, now, we have a job to do," he said sternly into the phone."

"Dude, I'm already in bed, and aren't we getting a little old for this?" Scott said back in a tired tone.

"We do this for Coach," Stiles reminded him.

"Uh, I thought we did this _to_ Coach," Scott said with some amusement.

Stiles shrugged. "Whatever, you know he needs this. He lives for this stuff. You know, he loves it."

"But, it's the middle of the night."

Stiles then moved and opened his locker where he had his supplies and tools all ready. "12:15 actually. Which means that it's officially mischief night/day. And, by perfect coincidence, happens to be Coach's birthday. So, if you are not down here in five seconds then I will destroy you. Okay? And I mean 5, 4, 3, 2," Stiles then turned around and nearly fell off his feet in surprise.

Scott stepped up and amusingly smiled down at him. "One."

Stiles glared at him. "If I still had my strength, I would so be hitting you right now. A lot," he said getting back up.

* * *

There was a wide street intersection with a bright set of traffic lights glowing but there were currently no cars moving or stopped there now. It was the dead of night, and a faint sound of crickets could be heard. Over by the corner power box, a bag was dropped down on the floor where a pair of gloved hands opened it to reveal tools and wires. A pair of bolt cutters then cut the lock on the box and revealed the controls for the traffic lights.

* * *

Scott was riding off, on his way to school, when he suddenly stopped his bike as he hit a pocket of traffic. He quickly placed the rest up on his bike and ripped his helmet off as the smell of blood reached his nose. And it wasn't from one or two people either. It had to be from at least ten. He saw that some of the cars ahead of him had their doors open as people were out of their cars looking ahead.

He went over to a person standing outside his driver's seat door. "Do you know what happened?"

"An accident. Some kind of pile-up."

Scott ran forward a bit until he got to the intersection where he saw that middle had a few cars smashed into each other while there were others that were off-road. One of them had crashed into a corner pole. There were a few police officers here and there while there was one EMT looking over a man stuck in a car. Scott's nose crinkled as the smell of blood was strong here. The cause of the accident became clear when he looked up at the traffic lights to see that they were flashing green on all sides.

Getting through the jam was slow as there was very little room for the cars to move safely through the chaos but Scott did finally manage to get to school, though he was nearly an hour late. He found Stiles at his locker putting a textbook away and replacing it with another.

"Hey Scott," he said sparing him a look before he went back into his locker. "You missed 1st period. Actually, almost half the class missed first period, even the teacher."

"Yeah, there was an accident not too far from the school. Traffic got backed up."

"Really? Must've happened after I got here. How bad was it?"

"Bad," he muttered. Scott leaned a bit on the lockers as his sight caught a glimpse of Kira from across the hall as she was putting stuff away at her locker.

"Well, nothing like some actual blood to kick start Mischief Day." Stiles said before he noticed Scott's dazed look. "What are you looking at?" he asked.

Scott's blinked. "Me?"

Stiles he followed Scott's line of sight and saw Kira. "You looking at her?"

"Her? Who her?" he asked a little defensively.

Stiles tilted his head in Kira's direction. "Her her. Kira. You like her?"

"No," Scott said stiffly before he loosened up. "I mean, yeah. She's okay. She's new."

"Oh, what is it with you and the new girl?" Stiles muttered and they watched as she closed her locker and headed off. "She doesn't have the hunter look about her so, I say she's okay. So, ask her out?"

Scott's eyes widened. "What, now?"

"Yes now," Stiles said as he shut his locker and then they began walking off. Stiles then went and patted Scott's shoulder. "Scott, I don't think you get it. You're an Alpha now. The Apex Predator. Everyone wants you. You're like the hot girl that every guy wants."

Isaac suddenly moved quickly over to them. "Hey, did you guys hear about that pile-up?" he asked as soon as he got to them. He then caught something bright at Stiles' back and pulled at it to see that it was a piece of wire about an inch long. "What's this?"

Stiles took it from him and shrugged. "Must've got stuck to my bag from somewhere," he said before he threw it nonchalantly off to the side.

"I'm the hot girl?" Scott asked as he stopped and looked straight at Stiles.

"You are the hottest girl," Stiles said proudly to him.

"What?" Isaac said lost at what the two of them were even talking about.

Scott then looked out as if in a daze. "I'm the hot girl," he said a bit enlightened.

Isaac nodded as he looked at him blankly. "Yes you are." He would just go with it and not ask any questions. Something told him that he was better off not knowing.

Scott gave out a smile before he caught a very familiar scent. One that Isaac caught too because he tensed up.

Stiles noticed the change in the two of them. "What? What is it?"

But they didn't have to answer because both Ethan and Aiden were seen walking through the front doors. The three of them stood tensely as the twins made their way over to them.

"You guys are back in school?" Scott asked them, trying to be polite.

"No," said Ethan. "We want to talk."

"Ah, that's kind of a change of pace for you guys," Stiles spoke up. "Usually you're just hurting, maiming or killing."

Isaac tightened his hands at his sides into tight fists, so hard that his knuckles cracked loud enough for them to hear. But the twins kept their eyes on Scott.

"We need a pack," Aiden said to him. "We need an Alpha."

Stiles sucked on a corner of his teeth. "Yeah, absolutely not. Hilarious though."

"You asked us for help and we helped," Ethan argued.

"You beat his face into a bloody pulp. In my opinion that's not helping. In my opinion that's actually counter-productive. Especially since your help was of no help."

Scott's jaw tightened a bit. "Why would I say yes?"

"We add strength. We make you more powerful. There's no reason to say no," said Aiden.

Stiles rolled his eyes at that.

And Isaac tilted his head a bit as he stepped up to be a bit in front of Scott. "I can think one. Like the two of you holding Derek's claws while Kali impaled Boyd."

"And I could think of another one," Stiles jumped in as he stepped up to be in front of Scott on the other side. "Like when you guys went and tried tear into us at the hospital and took Scott's mom prisoner."

Isaac turned back to look at Scott. "Hell, I don't know why we're not impaling and tearing them apart right now."

Aiden flashed his blue eyes and fangs at them. "Wanna try?"

Scott quickly grabbed Isaac's arm as he took another step forward while Stiles hissed at Aiden as he eyed the people around them in the hallway. "Wanna put your game face away? Might be Halloween but I'm not sure everyone is going to think you're just wearing a costume."

Ethan grabbed onto Aiden's arm and pulled his brother back as Isaac took a step back to be at Scott's side. The two of them seemed to settle a bit though they were still glaring at one another.

"We're not asking you two, we're asking him," Ethan said as he looked over at Scott.

Scott shook his head. "Sorry but they don't trust you. And neither do I."

Scott then walked off with Stiles following right after him. Isaac threw them a final smug look before he walked off too. That left the twins staring off in Scott's direction as he disappeared into a classroom.

"What now?" Ethan asked. Aiden just looked around at all of the classrooms and even followed a guy that was trailing some toilet paper behind him. He then looked back at his brother and raised his eyebrows at him. Ethan shook his head. "No. No way," he said with a bit of a laugh.

Aiden shrugged his shoulders. "We never finished."

"And we don't have to."

"What if I want to?"

Ethan narrowed his eyes as he looked around. "You seriously want to go back to high school?" he asked before his face fell a bit. "Is this about Lydia?"

"This is about giving Scott a chance to change his mind. We're not just Betas anymore, we're Omegas. The Bitches. Remember? When everyone we screwed over finds out we don't have a pack anymore what do you think's going to happen?" Ethan's face tightened at that. "We're dead on our own."

"Well, dead's still better than being back at high school. I'm not doing it. No way." Ethan then moved to walk back out towards the doors but he stopped when he saw Danny walking through them. He was smiling and laughing with another guy. He stopped when he noticed Ethan for a second before he kept moving on passed them. Ethan then looked back to Aiden to see that he was smiling at him. Ethan deflated. "I'm not taking Math."

"I'll take it for you," he said as he walked off and started to make his way for the Main Office.

Ethan let out sigh before he followed after him.

* * *

Scott and Stiles moved into their seats as they waited for Coach to enter the room.

Stiles held a thumbs up to him. "Dude, that was a good decision. A good Alpha decision," he said happily.

"I hope so," he said tirelessly.

"Oh, I know so," Stiles said back to him. "Now, shh," he said as he held a finger to his lips. Stiles then smiled eagerly at the door leading to Coach's office.

Scott smiled as he waited himself.

Coach walked into the office from the locker room. "Peek a boo," he said before pushing the door wide open and stepping back. Nothing happened. He waved his hand around but still, nothing happened. He then turned the lights on and stepped back again, but again, nothing happened. He then carefully moved around the room, looking at all the corners, even under his desk, but found nothing. He did find something on his desk. A wrapped present topped with a bow. He carefully lifted the lid to see that it was full of bolts and screws. He laughed as he scooped them in his hands. "That's all you got? That's it?" he asked out loud before he went to lift the box. It was attached to a string and then suddenly all the things in his office that were held up by bolts and screws collapsed. That made Coach fist his desk as he angrily sat down. And fell down as his chair fell apart. "SON OF A BITCH!"

That was heard through the office into his classroom where everyone started laughing. Scott and Stiles shared an amused smile and looks of triumph. A moment later, Coach burst into the room and looked at them all, seething.

"Mischief Night! Devil's Night!" he said as he threw a screw at the floor. "I don't care what you call it, you little punks are evil." That made a few of them laugh again. "You think it's funny. Every Halloween, my house gets egged. A man's house is supposed to be his castle." He then slammed his hand down at Scott's desk making him jump a bit. "Mine's a freaking omelet!" Coach then looked and noticed another wrapped box on his classroom desk like the one on his office desk. "Oh this," he said lifting it up for the class to see. "We're going to do this again? I don't think so," he said before he let it drop to the floor. Then he smashed his foot down on it where an audibly breaking sound was heard by everyone in the room. Coach then looked down to see that it was a now broken mug that had his face on it and read: #1 Coach. He then noticed a card was included. "Happy Birthday, Love Greenberg," he read aloud.

As Coach was picking up the pieces, Lydia was sitting with her phone when she heard a buzzing sound and started to flap her hand around at it to make the fly go away. It was noticed by Danny who narrowed his eyes at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked her in a whisper.

"There's a fly," she whispered back to him.

That made Danny narrow his eyes at her. As far as he could tell, there was no fly buzzing around her at all. Lydia kept hearing the buzzing but then seemed to realize that there was nothing there herself. Yet, she kept hearing a fly buzzing around her. And, it was getting louder and longer.

* * *

William Barrow was in surgery as the doctors had him sedated and were beginning to operate. Among them were Melissa as well as another nurse. This was her and her fellow nurse's first time participating in a surgery like this. Apparently, all the other nurses and doctors were preoccupied with other treatments for the massive pile-up that occurred less than an hour ago.

The surgeon began to cut into him. "Anybody else here think I should make a minor slip-up and let this bastard bleed out on the table?" That made Melissa look up at him swiftly and horrified. The man smiled beneath his mask. "Just a little surgical humor Melissa. Relax," he advised her.

Melissa took a deep breath and nodded as she looked back at Barrow's pale face with the terror from last night replaying in her mind. But as they were ready to look inside she and the others were given a shock. What they saw wasn't pieces of shrapnel. It looked like a tumor. The surgeon was ready to operate and try and remove it but Melissa eyed the tumor as it started to move.

"Doctor," she said but he was distracted trying to look for the proper blade. "Doctor, I really think you should see this!"

The tumor was starting to grow and pulse, like a balloon ready to pop. And pop it did, releasing a swarm of flies. As everyone started to swat away and panic, Barrow's heart monitor jumped as his heart rate increased and he suddenly found himself sitting up. Melissa watched in horror as Barrow grabbed for a scalpel and then jammed it right into the surgeon. The others ran out of the room, still trying to get away from the flies buzzing around them as both Agent McCall and the Sheriff came running with their guns out. They moved into the operating room but found that it was empty.

"Melissa!" Agent McCall called to her as he saw her cradling the bleeding surgeon.

She shook her head. "He's gone! Barrow's gone!" She then looked down at the surgeon and whispered to him as she was trying to hold his wound and stop the bleeding. "It's going to be okay. Stay with me."

* * *

Peter was applying some fresh stitching on his finger to keep the circulation in his finger normal. It seemed that his hand was healing over his sown back finger and he was able to save himself from being a digit short. Derek ran his hand over his finger to see if it was working properly and gave it a nod.

Peter flexed his fingers before he looked at the box in his hand. "Are you finally going to tell me what I risked life and digit for already?"

"No, I'm going to show you." Derek then put the cylinder on the table in front of them and slowly opened the lid. He then poured it out, revealing claws. "After the fire…that's all that was left of her."

Peter was holding one of them up and looked at him. "Talia. I can't decide if that's touching or morbid. I guess the real question is, what are you planning on doing with them?"

"I have to ask her something. And, from what I've heard, this is the only way it's possible."

Derek the moved the box over to Peter, towards his right hand. He then looked at his hand and seemed to understand what Derek had in mind.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.

Derek smiled at him. "Why do you think I sowed your finger back on?"

Peter sighed. "I think I liked you better when you were angry and brooding. You've been around those teenagers for too long."

* * *

The hospital was locked down but it seemed there was no sign of Barrow anywhere in the building.

The Sheriff went over to where Agent McCall was talking with some orderlies. "He's not in the building. And hospital logs show that one of the ambulances is missing."

Agent McCall let out a heated breath. "How the hell did he slip out without anyone seeing him? This place should've been sealed tight."

"Most of the officers had to go and deal with the accident and pile-up that happened this morning. And the hospital got busy tending to all the people that had to be brought in. He easily could've slipped away."

"Sheriff!" a deputy called out to him as he quickly made his way over to them. "We have news."

"Barrow?" he asked hopefully.

But the deputy shook his head. "No, it's about the pile-up sir. It wasn't an accident. It was sabotage."

The Sheriff was confused. "I thought that they said the system malfunctioned."

"No. One of the city's electricians went to the electrical box at that corner and found that it had been fitted with some kind of homemade timer. They said that it was rigged to turn all the lights of the intersection green at 7:30 am."

Agent McCall's eyes narrowed. "That's exactly one hour before Barrow's surgery was supposed to take place. All the police here moved to deal with it and all the commotion brought to the hospital. The accident could been used to try and help cover Barrow in his escape."

The Sheriff shook his head. "No, it has to be a coincidence. No one even knew where Barrow was moving to or why."

"Sheriff." Melissa appeared from around the corner and was trying to flag the Sheriff over to her.

"Excuse me," he said to all of them before he went over to her. "Hey."

"These flies everywhere, they came out of Barrow. Out of his tumor."

The Sheriff narrowed his eyes. "Is that even possible?"

"Well, maggots can come from the body. It's called Myiasis but from the stomach it's not likely. And, there's something else," she said dropping her voice a bit. "Last night he told me why he killed those teenagers."

"Yeah, I know," the Sheriff slurred. "I read the report. 'Glowing Eyes'."

Melissa nodded. "And we know a few kids that fit that description."

The Sheriff stiffened. Oh, they knew kids that fit that description alright…their own. Scott and, while he might not be a werewolf anymore, Stiles still had glowing eyes at one point. Isaac as well. That would make them all possible targets for Barrow's madness.

Agent McCall was on the phone but he let his gaze wander over to them. He didn't know what they were talking about but he saw that both Melissa and Stilinski looked like someone just died. He knew, from reading some of the reports during his impeachment investigation, that Scott and his friend Stiles had been sighted and been indirectly involved in many of the incidents to emerge in Beacon Hills as of late. Those two had always gotten into trouble but now it was like they were in the thick of it, especially with that case involving Malia Tate. He had spoken to Melissa about Scott trudging through the woods at night and while Melissa said that she would talk to Scott, she didn't seem to be that worried or even surprised. He wondered if this was related to that incident that had both Melissa and the Sheriff taken when he had come back to town along with Chris Argent. Whatever was going on…he would find it out.

But, he was receiving a call on his other line and answered it. His eyes widened with what he had just heard. "Listen up everybody!" he called out to the officers and agents in the hall. "The stolen ambulance was spotted. The corner of Truman and Spalding."

The Sheriff's eyes widened. "That's three blocks from the school. Let's go! Go!"

He then wasted not another second as he quickly headed out with his deputies while Melissa held her bottom lip in a small panic. Agent McCall noticed that for a moment before he quickly followed after the others.

* * *

Lydia was getting ready to put her books away to try and enjoy her free period when she saw someone lean in right next to her. She looked and saw that it was Aiden, and he was smiling at her flirtatiously.

"Oh no," she said shaking her head. "I don't think so. There is no way that you come back here after two weeks of nothing, with your cute little smile, the dark eyes, the brooding forehead, the muscles and suddenly we're ripping each other's clothes off in Coach's office." She had a stern look on her face as Aiden kept his smile up. "No way. It's not going to happen."

Before they knew it, the two of them were opening the door into Coach's office, attached by the lips. They were starting to really get into it but they stopped as they noticed that the office was a complete mess. Lydia then remembered that the Coach had been pranked early that morning.

"Guidance office?" Aiden suggested.

Lydia then went and pulled on Aiden's hand as they ran out of the office and shut the door behind them.

But, from behind that door, was William Barrow. He ripped the hospital bracelet he had off and then moved for the staple gun on the desk. He then moved to try and seal the wound that he had from being operated on. But, he stopped when he heard a slight buzzing sound. He thought it was coming from the side where he then saw that the door at the other end of the office was opening, slowly. Barrow then started to limp on over to it and opened it to find that the classroom was empty. He then heard the buzzing again and it felt like it moved up ahead to where another door opened into the hallway. He saw that it was cleared of students right now and then started to move, following the buzzing sound like a man possessed.

* * *

Stiles blinked as he found himself in front of the chemistry classroom. He narrowed his eyes. He couldn't remember why he was here. He already had Chemistry, or should've had Chemistry as the teacher and half the class hadn't shown up that morning. Turned out that he had to be rushed to the hospital as he had been caught in the pile-up. His next class was on the opposite side so he should be nowhere near here. Could he have zoned out? He guessed he was still a little exhilarated from the prank they had pulled on Coach. Maybe he was overtired. He didn't really feel like he slept a lot. He couldn't remember falling asleep. He had been having a tough time trying to sleep after he had gotten home after rigging the office. He had been staring at the ceiling to try and get to sleep and the next thing he knew, he was staring at it when the sun was coming up and still didn't feel tired. That was why he got up and made it to school early and managed to beat that jam. He thought he might as well instead of risk accidently sleeping in and miss today, especially. But, he then started to hear some sirens. Police sirens.

The school was shocked when there were a whole squad of police cars pulling up to the front. Their sirens blared and sounded through the school drawing in many of the students to learn what was going on. The Sheriff hopped out of his car and made his way into the school as he instructed his officers to begin to lock it down. He then managed to find Stiles who was wandering the halls as if he was looking for something. When he caught sight of him, it was clear that he had been looking for him.

"Dad!" he said as he got to him. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

The Sheriff looked around to see that no deputy was around. The last thing he needed was for one of them to tell McCall that he was freely sharing this kind of information with his underage son. "William Barrow escaped custody and the ambulance he used in his escape was found close to the school."

Stiles' eyes widened. " _The_ William Barrow, the Shrapnel Bomber? Spotted nearby?"

"A little closer than nearby actually," he whispered to him.

Agent McCall came walking down the halls with the Vice-Principal as he asked to be shown to the basement and told of all the possible exits. He instructed that no one was to come in or out of the school.

That made Stiles narrow his eyes. "Dad, what's really going on here?"

His dad's jaw tightened up. "Normally, I wouldn't say, but, I think this is something you should know. You, and Scott, and Isaac."

After talking with his dad, Stiles quickly moved to find Scott and the others. He only managed to come across Lydia and Isaac who were with Allison. He went over to them and asked if they knew where Scott was because they had to find him. To warn him. As they went off, he began explaining to them what was going on.

"Barrow went after kids with glowing eyes? He said those exact words?" Isaac said sounding a little nervous.

"Yeah. And no one knows how he woke up from anesthesia. Just that when they did open him up they found a tumor full of live flies, which in any other circumstance, would be all kinds of awesome."

But Lydia froze. "Did you say flies?"

"Lydia?" Allison asked her.

"All day, I've been hearing this sound. It's like…this, buzzing."

"Like the sound of flies?" Allison asked her as she moved closer to her.

Stiles and Isaac moved closer to Lydia too.

She nodded. "Exactly like the sound of flies."

Now that they knew that Lydia was a Banshee, they had been looking into it and found that they were thought to be sensitive and drawn to death. If Lydia was sensing Barrow nearby, then that could mean that he was here to kill somebody. Somebody who he knew to have glowing eyes.

* * *

"All I'm saying is that I don't understand why you're sitting here with me instead of in the cafeteria with the other kids."

Mr. Yukimura was in his classroom with his daughter Kira as she was trying to catch a good angle for a picture.

"Maybe I want to keep you company," she said right before she took his picture.

"You should be embarrassed to be seen with me. Not keeping me company." But she saw that Kira was still taking pictures with her phone. She was taking one of the quote he wrote on the blackboard. "Kira? You must have some friends by now?" he asked her softly.

That made her put her phone down and she shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I had a lot of friends back home but, here it's like every time I open my mouth I just start rambling like an idiot."

Her father nodded before he put down his mug of tea. "Try again, fail again. Fail better."

"Are you quoting Simon Buckett to me?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I thought that was Yoda." That made Kira smile a bit. "Someone will show an interest. You're a beautiful girl, how could they not?"

"The only one that showed any interest in me is a rabid coyote."

"Maybe you could date the coyote?" he suggested lightheartedly.

Kira just stared up at him. "I don't want to date. And, I definitely don't need a boyfriend. I…just want to make a few friends."

They didn't know but Scott was outside the door, listening in on them. He thought that Kira sounded like an awkward but nice enough girl. She was kind of like…Allison, when she first moved here. But, she wasn't looking for a boyfriend. Well…Scott guessed he could try to start with being friends with her. With his last relationship, they both had jumped right into it and he remembered how it had affected the both of them. He and Allison were kind of still recovering from what happened. He didn't want to go and put himself and another girl through that again. He guessed that he could always use another…friend.

As Scott settled against the wall, Stiles came sprinting from around the corner and nearly fell over when he spotted Scott.

"Dude, where the hell have you been?" he asked him a little breathless.

Before Scott could say anything, Lydia came over to them. "The police are leaving," she said a bit paled. "Why are they leaving?"

Scott narrowed his eyes. "The police?"

Stiles' gaze lowered a bit. "They must've cleared the building and grounds which means he's not here."

Now Scott knew he was missing something. "Who? What are you guys-

But Lydia cut him off. "He has to be here. That sound, the buzzing I've been hearing. It's getting louder."

Stiles' eyes narrowed. "How loud?" he huffed out.

Lydia closed her eyes as she focused on the buzzing to hear that it was almost deafening. Her expression was all the answer that Stiles needed as he then ran off to try and find his father.

Scott could practically taste the anxiety that Stiles left behind and was almost overwhelmed by Lydia's own. "Can someone tell what's-" But Lydia moved to follow after Stiles. "Going on?" he finished lamely as he watched them run off.

* * *

Agent McCall was moving for the quad with a handful of fellow agents and the Sheriff trailing behind. As they were nearing the open space, Stiles came running up behind them.

"Hey, dad, dad," he said at his father quickly.

"Yeah?" the Sheriff said still moving to leave.

"You can't leave yet."

The Sheriff stopped and faced him. "We have an eye witness that put Barrow by the train station."

"Let's go Stilinski!" Agent McCall called out at him.

But Stiles shook his head at him. "Whoa, dad please." That made his dad stop as the others headed out. "Lydia said that he's still here."

The Sheriff moved closer to him. "Did she see him?"

"Not exactly, no. Well, not at all, but she has a feeling," he explained quickly. "A _supernatural_ feeling," he whispered out.

At that, the Sheriff's eyes widened as he looked over where Lydia was watching them a little bit aways, though was trying to pretend not to be.

"Lydia wasn't on the chessboard."

"She is now."

"Kanima?"

"Uh, Banshee."

The Sheriff sighed and rolled his eyes. He still was having trouble processing a werecoyote and now something else, outrageous, was being thrown at him. "Oh, God, really?"

But Stiles went to try and keep his dad focused. "Yeah, I know how it sounds. But it basically means that she can sense when someone is close to death."

"Can she sense that I'm about to kill you?"

Stiles narrowed his eyes and looked over at her. "I don't know."

Lydia just smiled and waved her hand at them which the Sheriff returned before he started to back up from him.

"Look, I'm not saying that I don't believe but, right now, I'm going with eye witness over Banshee." Stiles shook his head. "I'll leave a few deputies here and the school on lockdown until 3 o'clock. Nobody comes in, nobody goes out. That's the best I got right now. That's the best I can give you Stiles." He then moved to try and catch up with the others.

"Leaving here, that's the worst!" he tried to explain but his dad kept on going.

* * *

Scott soon managed to get the whole story when he met up with everyone as the school settled. He then sent a call to his mother to get them something to try and find Barrow. His mother managed to sneak in and Scott was in the halls waiting for her. In her hands was a bag.

"You got it?" he asked when he spotted it.

Melissa went and gave it to him. "Promise me you'll be careful? I looked right in this guy's eyes and it was terrifying."

Scott could feel the fear and concern that his mother had right now and he quickly nodded. "Yeah. Mom, I promise. Okay."

"Okay," she said before she reached to give him a small hug.

Scott then moved off to meet with Isaac who was waiting, unhappily with Ethan and Aiden.

"Lydia thinks that he is still here and the cops searched the whole school But, they didn't have one thing." He then reached in and pulled out a pair of hospital robes. "Our sense of smell."

With Barrow's scent, they would be able to find Barrow no matter where in the school he was hiding.

* * *

Allison was with Lydia and Stiles as they moved to get to a empty classroom so that Allison could sneak out of the school in order to find some clue in the Bestiary that would explain how flies was relevant to explain what was happening. It was clear that whatever was wrong with Barrow, had to be supernatural.

"The Bestiary is literally a thousand pages long. If I'm going to find anything about flies bursting out of people's bodies, it could take me all night," she said before she opened the window when she saw that the coast was clear.

Stiles was silently watching her as Lydia stood by his side.

"Remember, the word for fly in Archaic Latin is Musca," she explained to her.

"Got it," she said as she crawled out.

Lydia then turned to Stiles. "Where do we start?"

"Upstairs," he said to her before he looked up at the clock. They had a little less than half an hour before school ended and the halls will be littered with kids. If they were going to find Barrow than it had to be now. "We got to go."

* * *

Scott and Isaac were rummaging through the basement levels, to see if Barrow was down there. Scott was focused but Isaac was feeling too annoyed to really put full effort into it.

"Is this how it's going to be now?" he asked. "We trust them?"

Scott knew that he was talking about the Twins. He sighed. "Look, just because I'm letting them help doesn't mean that I trust-" But Scott stopped before he finished that thought.

Isaac looked over at him. "What? What's wrong?"

Scott shook his head. "Nothing." But something was wrong. What Scott had just about to say about the Twins was exactly what Stiles had said to him when he talked about him going to Allison for her help. That working with her didn't mean that he trusted her and Scott had argued that he could. If Scott went and did the same exact thing as Stiles, then he would be admitting that Stiles was right on his feelings of her. Which Scott felt that he really wasn't. But, he honestly didn't want the Twins to think that he trusted them and would consider letting them be in his pack like they had asked of him. But, if he didn't give them a chance then he didn't have the right to keep fighting for Stiles to give Allison one. Scott was annoyed now as it was a losing battle. Either he was a hypocrite or he was giving up on trying to mend things between his best friend and...his ex. "Let's just keep looking."

Isaac wondered what was with Scott just then. It looked like he wanted to agree with Isaac but was afraid to. He hoped that Scott wasn't changing his mind. "Well, I still don't like them. In fact, I hate them and actually want them to die."

Scott nodded. "Well, if Barrow is actually here and he has a plan then he might give you what you want." Maybe even spare Scott an internal dilemma at the same time.

Isaac smiled as he moved his hand to cross his fingers behind his back.

* * *

Over at the other end of the lower level, the Twins were looking for Barrow when Ethan stopped.

"Got something?" Aiden asked him but Ethan held up his hand to quiet him down.

He was hearing some soft noises coming from around the corner. It was definitely from a person and it wasn't Scott or Isaac. They then braced themselves before they moved in, and froze. It wasn't Barrow. It was Danny with that boy they had seen him with earlier. They had been making out but stopped and Danny was staring up at Ethan who was watching him stone faced. Aiden couldn't help the snicker at the situation.

"Oh really," Ethan muttered out to them.

Danny looked back at his hook up, completely embarrassed and awkward.

* * *

Stiles and Lydia were looking in the art room but found no sign of Barrow there. As Stiles was moving about the room, Lydia was deep in thought.

"Scott and Isaac are in the basement, right?" she asked him.

"Yeah, with Ethan and Aiden. The plan is to meet in the middle, at the Boiler Room."

Lydia then looked over and noticed a picture of an atomic explosion and froze. "All of the wolves, all the ones actually with glowing eyes are in the basement, at the Boiler Room."

Stiles' own eyes widened. "Oh my god," he said before looking back at her. "An Engineer could use the Boiler Room to blow up the whole school."

"We have to get them out of there."

"We have to get everyone out," he corrected her.

"How do we do that?"

Stiles ran out of the room and found the nearest fire alarm and quickly went and pulled it. This pulled everyone out of the classrooms, as well as everyone in the basement out of them, to begin to head outside. Stiles was smiling over in Lydia in relief and triumph but the smile quickly faded from Lydia as she tried to subtly clear her throat to warn Stiles but he didn't realize until a few seconds later when he slowly went and turned to see Coach. The next thing he knew, he was being escorted out of the building, by the ear.

"Pulling a fire alarm on Mischief Night is one thing. Doing it when there is a mass murderer spotted nearby is insane!" he spat at him. "If I were four years younger, I would punch you!"

Stiles shook his head. "What? Coach, that doesn't sense."

"Well, it does to me," Coach said before he moved in to check in on the school.

The two of them then left to try and get back to the others.

"We didn't find anything," said Aiden.

"Not even a scent," Scott added glumly.

Stiles looked over at the building. "It's 3 o'clock so school is over. If there _was_ a bomb, wouldn't he have set it off by now?"

"Does that mean everybody's safe?" Ethan asked them.

"I don't know," said Lydia. She couldn't understand why she had that strong feeling when no one had been in danger here at all. "I just, don't know."

* * *

The school was mostly cleared out, except in the library. Where Kira was sitting between the cases, reading her book, unaware of the alarm. That was because she had her headphones playing music, blocking any sound. She finally looked up when Coach stepped up to her and she removed her headphones to finally hear the alarms sounding.

"How loud are you playing that thing?" Coach asked her. She looked around, confused on what's going on but Coach pointed for the door. "Let's go. Get the hell out of here!"

Kira then got up and moved to head out with Coach right behind her. They were being closely watched by Barrow as he hid behind the bookcases.


	6. Galvanize part 2

Chapter 6: Galvanize part 2

One by one, Derek took his mother's claws and set them up inside the cylinder with Peter watching him a bit uncomfortably as he worked.

"You know there is an element of danger to rituals like this. I'm not particularly fond of them. Unless…they, somehow, benefit me."

Derek rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What do you want?" he asked with a small smile as he wasn't surprised that it might go down like this.

"I want to keep them," Peter said as he looked down at the claws. "Sentimental value." Derek looked like he didn't buy that and that made Peter narrow his eyes at him. "She was your mother but she was also my sister. What? Am I not allowed a little bit of sentiment?"

Derek sighed as he readied the last claw and then handed the cylinder over to him. Peter smiled before he looked down at the claws. They were arranged proportional with each finger and he went and stuck his finger over them but wasn't jamming them in. He was hesitating a bit.

Derek was growing impatient and just stomped over. "Too long," he said as he grabbed his uncle's hand and did it for him.

Peter grit his teeth as his eyes flared blue. Derek then went to sit down as Peter tried to adjust to having another set of claws jammed on top of his fingers that weren't his own. He compared his sister's claws to the ones in his other hand and saw quite the difference.

"It's not exactly my color." He then moved over to where Derek was already leaning forward and waiting with his neck exposed. "This is going to be excruciatingly painful," he reminded him.

"Just do it," Derek grunted.

"Oh, I'm going to. I just wanted you to know, we all have our petty revenges." And he took pleasure jamming his claws into Derek's neck as he remembered how Derek had clawed his own.

* * *

Mr. Yukimura made his way home and called for his daughter as soon as he walked in the door. Kira soon smiled at him from around the corner.

"Put on something nice," he told her with a smile of his own.

Kira looked down at the simple tank top and sweater she was wearing. "Why would I have to wear something nice?"

As soon as she asked that, the doorbell rang.

"I invited a guest," he said to her before he moved for the door. "For what I like to call a 'Thank You for saving my daughter from being a coyote dinner' dinner."

He then opened the door to reveal Scott.

"Hey," he said softly to her.

Kira took a nervous step back. "God," she muttered as she smiled at him but glared her eyes towards her dad. She then moved to try and get changed.

Scott was then brought to the dining room where Kira later came in, changed and was joined by her mother.

"So Scott, I'm sure that being as a native Californian, you've eaten at some pretty impressive Japanese sushi restaurants," Mrs. Yukimura said as her husband walked into the room. "But, I have to tell you that my husband is a superb chef."

"I hope you like them," he said as he set the food down in front of him.

Scott was presented a sushi plate and he didn't understand what he was looking at, even when Mr. Yukimura pointed to each one of them. All he could do was politely nod at each one of them.

But Mrs. Yukimura could tell. "You've never eaten sushi before, have you?"

No, Scott hadn't. He wasn't particularly fond of fish. With his mother always working the night shift, he had gotten used to eating take out and fast food with Stiles.

"Is it all raw?" he asked eyeing the plate.

"Not the rice," Mr. Yukimura told him.

Kira sighed. "Come on guys, we were supposed to be having lasagna tonight."

"I just wanted to impress him. I didn't want to bring out," he started to explain but then deflated. "You know what, I'll make lasagna."

"Oh no," Scott said quickly before he could get up. "It's okay. I can try anything." He then looked over at Kira and smiled. "Really." He then went and picked up the chopsticks. "Okay," he said trying to use them but was lost as he never had even touched chopsticks before.

Kira then moved over and grabbed his hand. "Wait, here. Trying holding this one like a pencil and this one goes under and then you just move the top one," she said as she helped try and teach him.

Scott then went and grabbed the nearest bit of sushi and managed to grab it with the sticks but he dropped it as he was trying to bring it up to eat it. Luckily, Kira managed to catch it for him and helped him eat it. Or he tried to. He was finding it kind of hard to bring it down.

Mrs. Yukimura just looked at her husband. "Sushi?"

That just made him shrug uncomfortably.

Scott decided to try and keep the dinner as normal and easy going for Kira as possible. "So, you moved here from New York?" he asked them.

Mrs. Yukimura smiled. "I have family ties here. Several generations."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Yukimura is Japanese, right?"

"Yes, but I'm actually Korean," said Mr. Yukimura. "When my wife and I married I took her name as she was the only surviving member of her family."

Scott actually was thrown by that. "You didn't want to take both names?"

"We were married in Japan, where the law is that couples must share the same name," Mrs. Yukimura explained. "To belong to the same kosiki."

"My wife's lineage quite unique. I was actually going to discuss it in class."

"Please don't," Kira lightly pleaded to her father.

That actually made her parents' faces fall.

Her mother looked especially stern. "Kira, you should be proud of your heritage," she said to her daughter stiffly.

"It was a profound honor to join your mother's family," her father told her.

Unknowingly to them, Scott had taken a bite of something and his mouth now felt like it was burning. A burn that went down his throat and to his stomach. He was starting to fidget a bit as did.

Kira looked down to his plate. "Scott, what happened to your wasabi?"

He had eaten wasabi? "Uh, I thought it was guacamole." He then moved to try and drink some water to wash it down.

* * *

Lydia was relaxing on Stiles' bed as he was building up a board in his room just like he had seen in his dad's office. He was hoping it would better organize all of his jumbled up thoughts. It seemed as if his ADHD had returned with a vengeance without his lycanthropy to balance it out for him. And with so much in his life now, it couldn't pick a worse time to work on him. Seeing the board in his dad's office helped to understand and prioritize what was happening around that whole thing with Malia so he guessed that it could help him in finding Barrow.

Lydia looked at the nightstand to see that there was a pretty old looking book opened half-way. She went over and took in her hands and looked the title over. It was in Latin and she mentally translated it as a book of Myths and Legends. The page that it was open to had an illustration with a man halfway in a transformation into what appeared to be a werewolf. The content of the page was all completely in Latin as well. "Hey Stiles, what is this?"

Stiles looked over to her and opened his mouth slightly as he saw the book in her hand. "Oh." He went over and took the book from her. "Just some light reading. That's all." He then tossed it to his desk on the other side of his room.

Lydia noticed that he had placed it on top of a few other books that looked similar to it. "It was in Latin," she said.

"Yeah, I know."

Lydia shook her head. "You don't know Latin."

"Oh, I've been learning," he told her. Lydia just narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. "Okay, I'm scanning the book and translating it with one of those translator programs."

Lydia then looked over to where she picked the book up from to see that they were some of his printout pages. Stiles noticed her looking at them and went to take them and put them on his desk too. Lydia's eyes widened at that. "You know, those things aren't very reliable."

"It's close enough," he grunted as he went back to his board.

Lydia gave the books and papers another look. What he was doing seemed more like research than simple reading to her. "You know...I could help translate all of that for you," she tried to offer. "I'm a lot better than those dumb translator things."

"You don't have to do that Lydia," he said dismissively.

But Lydia tried again. "Really, it's no trouble-"

"No," he stiffly said cutting her off. Stiles then took a deep breath. "I mean, you don't have to go through any trouble. It's nothing. Just something I'm doing on the side. It's no big deal. Besides, we have more important things that we should be focusing on anyway," he mumbled lamely before he went back to organize his board.

Lydia narrowed her eyes at Stiles' back. She'd never seen Stiles act like this before, ever. The way he was acting, it was almost like he was trying to hide something. That was the complete opposite of Stiles. He usually couldn't wait to share what he found or was doing. She looked over at the book and papers he placed on his desk away from her. From what she was able to skim from that page she saw, it seemed to explain how one could be turned into a werewolf. It seemed that Stiles was trying to research werewolves. If Lydia had to guess, she thinks that Stiles is digging more into learning what may have happened to take his powers away during the lunar eclipse. Every werewolf had their powers taken away that night but Stiles was the only one to not get them back. Everyone wanted to know why that was but Stiles seemed to be taking it further for some reason. Her eyes then widened as she saw the way that Stiles was carrying himself tensely and seemed to be trying harder to keep his eyes on the board and not look back at her. She now had a hunch for why Stiles was acting like this...but she guessed that it was none of her business. If he wanted so much to do this alone, then she would have to respect that.

She then turned to look at the different colored balls of yarn wrapped up next to her and decided to focus and talk on something else. "What do all the different colors of the strings mean?" as she saw them scattered across his wall.

"Oh, just different stages of the investigation. You know, green is 'solved'. Yellow is 'to be determined'. Blue is just, pretty," he said shrugging that last one off.

"And what does red mean?"

"Unsolved."

Lydia noticed something. "You only have red on the board."

"Yes, I'm aware thank you," he said giving her a stern look that actually made her stiffen a bit again.

Lydia started to twiddle her fingers. "Uh, did you get detention for pulling the alarm?" she asked unnecessarily. Of course he would get in trouble for doing that.

"Yep, every day this week," he said not caring about that at all. "It's okay though, cause we are on to something."

"Even though we couldn't find any proof of Barrow being there," Lydia pointed out.

Stiles looked over at her and didn't have to smell her chemo signature to know that she was feeling guilty and mad at herself for leading them what seemed to have been a wild goose chase.

"Hey, Lydia," he said as he went over and bent down next to her. "You have been right every time something like this has happened. Okay, so don't start doubting yourself now."

But Lydia more than doubted herself now. "No scent. No bomb. And I got you in trouble."

Stiles stopped her right there. "Okay, look Barrow was there. You sensed it. You felt it. You just started to understand what you really are Lydia and that's only half the battle. You can't give up when you hit some trouble trying to get the hang of it. Some things you'll get right away, others not so quick. Believe me, when I first turned, the senses of hearing and smelling, and controlling myself, I may have got right away but it still took me a while to learn to actually shift on command." Stiles remembered how some of the abilities that he had as a werewolf he had quickly accustomed to while the others were so lost on him like all that memory stuff. "It'll just take some time. And hey, you knew that Barrow was at the school before the police did. You more than did your part. Don't beat yourself up because you couldn't feel exactly where he was hiding. Obviously it was good if not even the police, and four sensitive nosed werewolves couldn't find him." Lydia smiled softly at him as Stiles played with the marker he was holding. He pulled the cap off so he could begin writing some notes when the smell hit him quite hard as it was brand new. He was about to wipe at his nose to get rid of the smell when he froze. He was starting to have a thought. "Get up. Get up now, we're going to the school," he told her.

* * *

Allison was scrolling through the pages of the bestiary, trying to look for the word Musca that Lydia had told her about, but there was nothing. Suddenly, there was some thumping. Allison stood up as she could tell that it was coming from right outside her room. It didn't sound like it was actually in her room though, maybe outside her window. She would guess that it sounded as if someone or something was trying to crawl its way in. There was suddenly a hissing sound and her failsafe kicked in and she heard a pained squeal. A young boy's squeal. Allison then smiled and went back to the computer. A couple of minutes later, the front door opened and in walked Isaac, looking breathless and annoyed.

"Electrified the windows?" he unnecessarily asked.

"Yep," she said not looking up from the screen.

"Did you wanna say anything about it?"

"Nope," she said still not looking up.

"Okay," he sighed out before he stepped on inside.

"What are doing here?" she asked him.

"Figured that you could use an extra pair of eyes," he said as he went to look at the screen too.

"Can you read Latin?"

"No…but I can, I can look at pictures," he offered.

Allison gave him a small smile as Isaac went and pulled up the next page of the bestiary to reveal a picture of a crimson colored Japanese mask. It actually looked a little creepy to the both of them.

* * *

Over at the Sheriff's station, everyone was running rampant as they were trying to sort out where Barrow could be. The Sheriff himself was at his desk, on the phone with the city's transit office.

"Well, make sure that the train personnel and bus drivers call it in if they see him," he said sternly to the guy before he went and hung the phone a little harder than necessary.

It turned out that the eyewitness seeing Barrow at the train station was a dud. He was starting to wonder if he made the right call leaving the school after all. Stiles had tried to tell him that Barrow was still in the school but he had just rushed out. Then he heard that his son went and pulled the fire alarm at the school. Stiles had told him that he did it because they thought Barrow was going to set off a bomb in the basement to try and get all the ones with glowing eyes there and he couldn't help but wonder what he would've done if a bomb had gone off and he had left them all there. While his son's evidence was Lydia having a 'feeling' about Barrow being there, it seemed that there was more weight to that over his so-called eyewitness. He guessed that he would still need time before he really accepted and began to get used to all of this 'supernatural' stuff.

There was a knock on the door and a young deputy with a clipboard began to step in. "Sheriff?"

"Come on in," he grunted out to him. He looked the young man up and down. He was a new addition to his collection of deputies and he was still having trouble placing his name. "I'm sorry, but, what was your name again?" he asked feeling a little embarrassed.

But the guy just smiled at him. "It's Jordan Parrish, sir."

"Right, well Parrish, what do you got?"

"Oh, Forensics came back with the results of that timer they found caused the pile-up at the traffic intersection." He then looked down at it. "No fingerprints or traces of DNA. Few of the pieces were store fresh and others seemed to have been recycled. It's untraceable."

The Sheriff ran his hand frustratingly at the left side of his face but he nodded. "Thank you Parrish. Do you know if there are any eye witnesses or security footage to help us find the one who rigged it?"

Parrish shook his head. "No, I'm sorry sir."

The Sheriff nodded. "Okay, thanks," he said to him softly as he was dismissed.

As Parrish left, the Sheriff had to wonder about Agent McCall's theory. He really did think that this had to be a coincidence, but, what if it wasn't? What if someone was helping Barrow? Someone who helped in making his escape easier and even in drawing the police away with that tip that led them on a wild goose chase, away from the school. Someone, that knew and maybe even believed Barrow about the glowing eyes.

* * *

Stiles and Lydia sneaked into the school, which was thankfully empty right now. Stiles quickly lead Lydia off until they reached the Chemistry classroom.

"Stiles, what are we looking for?" she asked when they stepped inside. But Stiles didn't answer her. He just went in and made his way over to the chemical supply closet in the back of the room. He turned the doorknob and the door opened immediately. Lydia narrowed her eyes. "That was supposed to be locked." Some of these chemicals could be dangerous and it wasn't safe to have students come in here and risk messing around with things that could hurt them or others by accident.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I know. Notice anything else?"

"It smells like chemicals," she said as the smell of them began to run into her nose. But then she stiffened. "They wouldn't have been able to catch a scent."

"Yeah," Stiles said as he ruffled through the shelves. "I hated coming to Chemistry. One, because of having to deal with Mr. Harris. And two, the smells from this closet. Me and Scott would always have to work to try and block out the chemicals coming out from here. Barrow could've easily have hid here from both the police and us."

"And since the Chemistry teacher was out today because of the pile-up, no one would need to come into the chemical closet." Lydia looked the door over. She saw that it didn't look tampered with so the police would assume that it wasn't broken into and was locked as it was supposed to be and moved on. "But, how did he get it unlocked?" she asked out loud. "How did he even know this was the best place to hide from everyone?"

"Don't know," Stiles said before he bent down as he spotted some spots of blood as well as metal shavings, probably from staples. "But, he was _here_ , performing minor surgery on himself." He looked up at her. "You were right."

"Then why don't I feel good about this?"

"Probably because he was here to kill somebody."

"But who?" she pressed.

"That's what we have to figure it." Stiles then got up from the floor and moved into the classroom. "Spread out, start looking for anything." Stiles began to look through the workstations while Lydia slowly moved over to the board where she noticed that there were three numbers written out. 19, 53 and 88. Stiles saw the way she was looking at the board and noticed it too. "Lydia, what are those?"

"Atomic numbers," she told him.

"Is it a formula?"

She shook her head. "Not really. 19 is Potassium. 53's Iodine. 88's Radium. The first two make Potassium Iodide."

Yeah, Stiles doubted that white salt had any relevance here though. But Lydia reached for the chalk and began to write a K in front of 19. "Potassium is K?"

"From Kalium. The scientific Neo-Latin name," she explained. She then put an I for Iodine.

Stiles felt cold all of a sudden. "What's Radium?"

She wrote it. "Ra," she said before dropping the chalk as she went to catch her breath.

Stiles caught his breath too. "Kira," he said horrified.

* * *

Derek lifted his gaze up to find that he was standing in the center of his loft, with the Nemeton right in front of him. He heard some light growling and he looked to the door as a black haired wolf started to lightly walk on in. It gently pranced its way to the tree stump and climbed on top of it. Derek, he wanted to cry at the beautiful sight. It was his mother. She looked just the same as he remembered her. From her beautiful dark coat of fur, her groomed tail and the red eyes that glowed as she looked at him.

"Mom," he muttered.

He had so many questions to ask her. And, he had so many things to tell her. He wanted to finally have peace with her memory and, give her and their family hope as there was now a real chance for their family to live on now.

* * *

"Yes mom, I ate sushi," Scott said into his phone.

He was calling his mother after dinner to check up on her and to check in.

" _I didn't even know you could use chopsticks_ ," she said with some amusement.

Scott smiled at that before he cleared his throat as something else from dinner entered his mind. "Uh hey mom, can I ask you something?"

" _Yeah._ "

"Why didn't you…how come you never changed your name back to Delgado?"

" _Do you mean, why did I keep your father's name?_ " she asked him softly.

"Yeah."

" _Because it's your name too honey. Look, I got to go sweetheart, okay? I love you_ ," she said before she hung up.

He hung up too just as Kira knocked on the door and then walked in with a box of pizza. "Oh thank god," he sighed in relief. "Oh, no offense to sushi," he quickly added.

But Kira was still smiling. "Yeah, we probably should've started you on California Rolls."

They then sat down and started to dig into the pizza together. As Scott ate to drown out the taste of raw fish and wasabi out of his mouth he couldn't help but think that, in some ways, being with Kira reminded him of how he felt when he was with Allison. It wasn't as mind-blowing and intense as it had been when the two of them started dating, but it was comfortable and pleasant. He couldn't help but start believing that his mother may have been right. Was this how it was like when someone found love again? But wait…did that mean that he really was falling in love with Kira? And if he was…did that mean that he was falling out of love with Allison? He still cared about Allison a lot. It was still bothering him that she and Isaac seemed to be getting closer to each other and yet, here he was, getting closer to Kira. But was he really moving on, or was he just rebounding with Kira? And was Allison moving on, or was she rebounding with Isaac?

* * *

Allison went to sit on her bed back in her room through some hard copies of some web pages of legends involving flies. The Bestiary didn't seem to have anything so they were trying the internet now.

"Anything?" Isaac said as he paced while looking through the pages he had.

Allison picked up one of the papers. "Uh, there is a reference of flies being able to carry messages to the dead. What about you?"

Isaac sat down next to her and held out one of the papers he had. "Uh, Beezlebub? The Lord of the Flies."

Isaac started leaning in close to Allison. So close that when Allison turned to look at him, their faces were only a few inches apart. Isaac then started to slowly move in closer and it looked like Allison was moving closer too but then she pulled away at the last moment.

She looked down and smiled a bit before she looked back up at him. "Are you serious?" she said with a bit of a laugh. Isaac looked a bit confused. "You were just trying to kiss me."

Now Isaac was smiling. "No I wasn't," he said shaking his head.

Allison kept a small smile on her face as she was fighting a small laugh. "Then what were you trying to do? Headbutt me?"

Isaac smile faltered a bit. "Okay, maybe I was trying to kiss you."

Allison kept her locked on Isaac's for a moment before she went and got up. "Are you completely, totally out of your mind!" She wasn't smiling anymore. "You actually thought I would want to kiss you?! Or any other werewolf again? Because, trust me on this, I…I would never. Kiss you. Ever," She was starting to babble a bit now.

"Never?" Isaac said doubtfully.

"Ever," she said sternly.

Isaac narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Oh. Alright fine. I won't kiss you either," he said as he stood up.

Isaac then went and pulled his shirt up over his head exposing his naked torso to her. He just looked at her after, with a somewhat hungry look in his eye. Allison was staring back at him tensely. She hadn't been this close to a half naked guy since Scott. She saw that Isaac was paler and leaner than Scott was but she still felt her heart beating a little faster at the sight of him. She then went and pulled her own shirt off, with a stone hard look on her face. The two of them then tossed their shirts to the side. They were staring hard at each other, as if they were silently trying to dare one another to do something next, first. But their staring match ended when the door opened and her father started walking in but stopped when he noticed them. Allison and Isaac eyed him for a minute before they jumped and went to get their shirts back.

Chris Argent was barely able to keep himself from exploding when he started to talk. "Allison, can I see you in my office, where I keep my guns?" he said throwing a glare Isaac's way before he stomped off.

Allison then went off after him leaving Isaac there feeling awkward. But that awkwardness went to panic when Allison's dad did explode. "Another Werewolf?!" He just hoped that he didn't have to go back to worrying about Mr. Argent hunting him down again.

* * *

Peter felt Derek snapping back to consciousness and then pulled the claws out of his neck. Derek then started to pant and huff as he tried to settle himself back.

"Did you see her?" Peter quickly asked him. "What did you ask her? Did she say anything about me?" Derek just looked at him, glaring but there was a hint of panic in his gaze too. "Oh, that doesn't look good."

Derek just looked away from him. Letting himself go over everything that went on between him and his mother.

* * *

Kira then began to walk Scott out as he was getting ready to head out.

"Thanks for dinner," he smiled at her.

"For sushi or the pizza?" Kira asked smiling nervously.

Scott wasn't sure what the right answer to that would be. "Uh…pizza was good," he attempted. That made both of them laugh a little. He considered that one a win as they made it to his bike.

"You seem like a really nice guy and not just because you kept me from getting eaten alive by a coyote."

Scott sat on his bike but gave her a more relaxed smile. "Did I do something else?"

"Yeah," she said as she let the memory of being in front of Scott and his friends in the quad. "You remembered my name."

They both started to avoid each other's eyes now and Scott thought it was a good enough time to head out. But before he could put his helmet on, he felt a hard whack on the head as William Barrow rushed at him with a pipe.

The next thing that Scott knew, he was looking straight up at the blurred streetlight with Stiles and Lydia looking down at him.

"Scott?" Stiles' voice sounded deep and far. "Scott?" he said giving him a shake.

Scott then quickly moved to sit up. "Barrow!" he gasped. "He took Kira!"

Stiles nodded. "We know. He was after her the whole time."

Scott's jaw then dropped a bit. After he got over the shock, he quickly went to put a call in to Isaac to update him and see if he and Allison found anything.

" _No, nothing. Just stuff on flies and the dead. Nothing else,_ " Isaac told him.

Scott deflated at that. "Alright thanks," he said before hanging up and going back towards the others. "We have to think of something. He's going to kill her."

"I knew he was there," said Lydia. "How did I know that?"

"Because you heard the flies, right?" asked Stiles.

"What do you hear now?" pressed Scott.

Lydia tried to let herself be at mercy to everything but she shook her head. "Nothing." The disappointment and despair could easily be seen on Scott's face at that. "I feel like I can do this but I don't know what to do. It…it's like its on the tip of my tongue and I don't know how to trigger it," she said almost crying. She then stomped off and pulled on the top of her head. "God, it's…it literally makes me want to scream."

Stiles eyes then went into focus. When he was learning how to control his powers, some of them required him to try and rationally work through them but most of it was him following his instincts. Feeling what was the right way to do what he had to do. Maybe that was what Lydia had to do too. Follow her instincts. "Then scream," he said to her. He paced a bit towards her. "Lydia, if that's what you feel like doing right now, then scream," he said to her unflinchingly.

And Lydia did. She screamed. It was so loud and piercing that both Scott and Stiles moved to quickly cover their ears as it felt like it was piercing their brains. But then Lydia stopped. She was staring out, not looking, but hearing. She heard the buzzing again but it wasn't a fly buzzing. It was coming from above her and she saw that the buzz was coming from the street light.

"It's not flies," she said as she looked from it to them, making them jump in surprise. "It's electricity."

"Wait, Barrow was an electrical engineer. He worked at a power substation," Stiles said remembering what he read from the police reports.

"What substation?" Scott asked him.

* * *

Kira tied to a corner as Barrow was by the control box next to the transformers. He took and axe and whacked the control box to cut one of its feeding line out. He then went and grabbed the cut end of it and lightly passed the metal fibers through the edge of the steel fence making a trail of bright sparks in his wake as he made his way over to Kira. The lights around them dimmed as he walked.

"What are you doing?" Kira cried.

Barrow then stopped. "Right now?" he asked as he bent down next to her. He then moved over to her and while Kira flinched and prepared for him hitting her, he just grabbed her phone from her pocket. "I just want to take your picture. Just a little proof of our time here together." He then took it. "A little proof for all those people who, never believed." He then zoomed in and took another one.

"Okay," she whimpered. "You got your picture. You want to let me go now?"

But Barrow smiled and shook his head at her. "Did you ever see a movie called Village of the Damned. The original, not the remake. No one cares about crappy remakes. I'm talking about the 1960 black/white masterpiece. Huh? It's about this group of children, blonde haired." He then went to caress Kira's cheek as she tried to get away but couldn't. "Beautiful children…who can make their eyes glow." Barrow's own eyes went into a glare. "They did terrible, terrible things. The tagline on the poster read: Beware, the stare will paralyze the will of the world." He then got up quickly which made Kira jump a little in fright as he began to raise his voice. "And when I told everyone that I saw children with glowing eyes, they wouldn't believe me! I tried to get them to do something! They wouldn't budge! Wouldn't move…as if they had been paralyzed. I…am going to shake them out of their paralysis. I'm gonna get them moving. I'm gonna-" He then went and grabbed the cord and made some sparks appear next to Kira. "I'm gonna Galvanize them." But he froze as he heard some sounds coming from outside.

Scott stopped his bike right outside the substation and Stiles stopped his jeep right behind him. Scott spared him a look before he went and ran inside.

"Okay," Stiles said as he went and started to climb out of his car. "Wait here okay. Wait for the cops to come."

"Me?" she asked as Stiles closed the door behind him and headed on inside after Scott. "Wait, why?"

Stiles then held his aluminum bat up. "I only got one bat and without the claws, I kind of need it." He then ran on inside too.

Scott rushed inside and wondered where to start looking. He stopped and tried to listen out and he heard Kira's faint whimpering. He then ran off and quickly found her, tied up next to a steel fence.

"Scott!" she cried as he starting running for her. "No, look out!"

But Scott was caught off guard as Barrow rushed at him with the cord and struck at him. He was thrown back a few feet into the opposite wall, with electricity running through his body.

Stiles heard the noise and started to run towards it.

Barrow then moved for Kira with the cord now sparking more faster and harder than ever.

"Don't!" Scott grunted out as he tried to get back to his feet but still couldn't move his legs or hands. "She's not the one you want!"

But Barrow didn't stop. He just kept moving for her and started to lower the cord at her. Towards her face. Scott kept crying for him not to do it, but Barrow then jammed it into her neck. When he did, the entire transformer station sparked and began to explode. Barrow was knocked off of his feet from the force of it as the entire room brightly lit up as sparks and bolts of electricity fired everywhere.

When it dimmed down, Scott opened his eyes and saw Barrow was on the ground, twitching but seemingly out cold. He then looked over to where Kira had been laying and saw that it was still bright and sparking there. For a moment, he thought she was dead…until he saw that she was standing. Kira was standing as the electrical sparks seemed to be running into her hands. As if she was absorbing it. Kira was staring down at her hands, in full shock and surprise. When it stopped, she looked over at Scott, as much a loss for words as he was.

Outside, the city of Beacon Hills then started to descend into a blackout as the power went out everywhere.

Over to the side of the room, a set of pale hands were flexing themselves as their owner turned them around as if checking them out for the first time. He then let out a small gasp of air.

Scott and Kira heard it and turned in its direction. They then heard footsteps as the person then walked into where there was some moonlight leaking in from a nearby window to reveal that it was Stiles. His eyes suddenly went wide and his mouth was slightly open as he took in the scene around them.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked them.

Kira just looked down at her own hands as Scott looked over at her in concern. Neither of them had noticed, because of the dim lighting, but before Stiles had said that, his eyes hadn't been their usual shade of honey brown. They had been pitch black.

* * *

Isaac was still in Allison's room as the power went out. He was about to go looking for Allison and her father when he felt someone move close by. He then felt it again and managed to catch a glimpse of a dark figure. Then another. And another. They were surrounding him. They were dressed up in some kind of black hooded garments. In the dim moonlight, he was able to make out, not faces, but masks. They were moving around him, like sharks surrounding their prey and then they moved in.

The door slammed shut and Isaac's screams were starting to be heard through the apartment. Allison and her father were running for her room but the door was locked. They cried his name and tried to push and pound on the door but it wouldn't budge.


	7. Illuminated

Chapter 7: Illuminated

Allison and her father kept trying to push but the door wouldn't budge. Allison grew more worried when Isaac's shouts couldn't be heard anymore.

"Isaac!" she cried out.

"Get back," he said to her as he pulled her from the door.

Chris then backed up and then started to kick at the door until it broke open. Allison quickly ran inside to find Isaac on the ground, in a small huddle, not moving as if he had been paralyzed. When she reached to touch his face, that's when he started to move but to try and move away from her.

"His skin is like ice," she said in a trembling voice.

Chris then moved his face and took the flashlight to look at his eyes. "Isaac, look at me," he told him sternly. But he remained completely unresponsive to them and to the light. He didn't see any other way to get through to him but one. "Okay, Isaac you have to turn. You have to trigger it." Isaac just stayed there like a zombie so Chris went and punched him at the face. "You have to turn," he said before he sent another punch at him. "Turn!" he said before hitting him even harder.

Isaac stiffened as his eyes glowed at them before he seemed to snap out of his daze and went to sit back against the bedpost panicked. He looked around and saw that it was just the two of them in the room with him. Isaac's face was completely pale as some tears started to fall as it all came back to him. "Did you see them?" he whispered.

"Who?" Allison asked.

"They were five of them," he croaked out. "They wore black…I-I couldn't see their faces. They were covered."

"What, you mean they wore masks?" she asked him as she moved to take his hand to try and calm him down.

Isaac still shook as he still felt cold inside. "One…I could see his eyes. They were greenish yellow like…like a firefly."

At that Chris stood up and quickly started moving to the window. It was clear that what had attacked Isaac was supernatural and it had gotten into the apartment even though he had secured it. "The security system wasn't triggered," he said as he saw the lock wasn't tampered with and the window didn't seem broken into.

"Then how'd they get in?" Allison asked him.

"They didn't," Isaac coughed out. "It's like…they came out of the shadows."

Chris then froze. That sounded too familiar to him.

Allison noticed. "Do you know what that means? Dad," she said when he didn't move to answer her.

"Umm…I'm not sure," he said as he started to move for the door. But he stopped and looked back at them. "Listen, the two of you need to keep this quiet for a few hours."

"From everyone?" Isaac asked.

"For 24 hours."

Allison narrowed her eyes. "They could've killed him dad," she muttered.

"But they didn't and there was a reason why. I think they might've been after me."

With that he left the two of them in the room to look at each other in confusion and fear. Why would someone or something be after him? And why wouldn't he want them to tell Scott and the others about it?

Chris quickly went to his room and started looking inside one of his cabinets where he dug his hands inside and pulled out a box. He then looked inside to glimpse the image of a broken mask. One from a memory of a night that he had tried not to think about for years.

* * *

Scott, Stiles, Kira and Lydia all stood outside the power station when a couple of squad cars pulled up to it. No doubt it was to see what was behind the blackout. Among those cars was the Sheriff's and he stepped out of the car and just gave a look at them. Lydia cried out that Barrow was inside while Scott had his arm around Kira who was very interested in her shoes. The Sheriff sent his deputies inside while he went over to them, to his son who was just staring at him.

"What happened here Stiles?" he hissed at his son. "How did you guys find Barrow here and who is she and why did he take this girl?" he asked as he looked over at Kira.

Stiles sighed. "Do you want the truth or the _truth_?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

Stiles then looked over at Kira and Scott looked up and caught the Sheriff's eyes with the same kind of look that Stiles had when he told him about Lydia. "Oh you gotta kidding me," he sighed out tirelessly. Twice in one day.

But then Stiles stiffened. "Dad."

The Sheriff turned around and saw a new car pulling in. Agent McCall's car. He got out and looked at all of them with a narrowed set of eyes.

Before they knew it, they were all back in the Sheriff's office back in the station. The place was still dark as the power hadn't been restored. Scott, Stiles and Lydia gave Scott's dad an abridged and vague version of what had happened after Barrow had kidnapped Kira and took her to the substation. The Sheriff just sat at his desk patiently as he easily read between what his son and his friends were saying. He knew that Stiles would tell him the full story, in confusing and frightful detail, later on so he just sat there, letting himself watch as Agent McCall get frustrated by the vague explanations he was getting with disguised amusement.

"When did you get there?" Agent McCall asked them.

"At the same time," Stiles said as simply as he could.

"Same time as who?" McCall asked.

"Same time as me," Scott said to him.

"By coincidence?"

"What do you mean coincidence?" Stiles asked him.

"That's what I'm asking you," he said raising his voice a bit. "The two of you arrived at the same time. Was that coincidence?"

That made all of them just look at him.

"Are you asking me?" Scott asked him.

Stiles looked over at him. "I think he's asking me."

"I think he's asking the both of you," Lydia said to them both.

"Okay," McCall cut in. "Let me answer the questions." That made them all widen their eyes at him, except Kira who just looked down as she twiddled her fingers silently. Behind him, the Sheriff tried to keep a professional composer but he still hid his smile behind his hand. "Let me ask the questions," McCall corrected himself. "Just so I have this absolutely clear. Barrow was hiding at the chemistry closet at the school and someone left him a coded message on the blackboard telling him to kill Kira. Then Barrow took Kira to a power substation and tied her up with the intent to electrocute her which blacked out the entire town."

Stiles nodded. "Sounds about right," he mumbled.

McCall looked straight at him. "How'd you know that he'd take her to a power substation?"

"Well because he was an electrical engineer so where else would he take her," he shrugged at him.

"That's one hell of a deduction there Stiles."

"Well, what can I say, I take after my pops. He is in law enforcement," he said with a smile before he sent his dad a wink.

One which made his dad almost laugh but he quickly covered in with a cough. "Stiles, just…answer the man," he tried to say seriously even though it was clear that he was enjoying this.

"We made a good guess," Stiles simply said.

McCall sighed before he looked over at his son and Kira. "And what were you two doing?"

"Eating sushi," Kira said at the same time that Scott said, "Eating pizza."

They looked over at each other before Scott said "Eating sushi," and Kira said, "Eating Pizza."

That only made McCall narrow his eyes at the two of them.

"Eating sushi and pizza," the two of them managed to say together.

"Do you believe this?" McCall said back to the Sheriff.

But he shrugged and shook his head. "To be honest, I haven't believed a word Stiles has said since he learned how to speak. But, I think these kids found themselves in the right place at the right time. And that girl sitting there is very lucky for it."

McCall then looked over at the new girl. "Kira? Is that how you remember it?"

At that moment, Scott, Stiles and Lydia looked over at Kira and even leaned forward a bit towards her when they did. Kira looked at each of them and saw them with the same pressing look. She then went and looked in the waiting face of Agent McCall and she nodded. "Yes," she mumbled. "Can I get my phone back now?"

McCall shook his head. "Sorry but no," he said sternly to her. "I'm afraid that its officially evidence." It was clear to Agent McCall that there was something that everyone in this room wasn't telling him. That they, maybe even the Sheriff and his ex-wife, seemed to be involved in something that drew them into these consistent and unexplainable situations popping up in Beacon Hills. But, whatever it was, it looked like he would get no closer in trying to figure it out here and now. So, he went and gave them all permission to leave as he handed Kira's phone to a deputy for lockup with Evidence. "Scott," he called to his son before he could leave with his friends. Scott stopped and turned back to look at him. "I don't know why you guys are lying. Or why Stilinski is content to listen to this crap, but try and remember something. If half of this story about Barrow is true then not only did someone set him loose but he's a pawn in their little game. A mass murderer is bad enough. A mass murderer being controlled by someone, far worse," he warned him.

Scott narrowed his eyes as his father said that. "Yeah, I get it." He already knew that someone had to have pointed Barrow in Kira's direction seeing as how Stiles and Lydia had found that message at the school. Someone that knew something about Kira. Something that none of them did.

His father nodded. "Alright, go home. It's a school night."

Scott huffed as he stepped out to find Kira standing off to the side with Lydia while Stiles was talking with his father. Kira was looking his way but when he tried to catch her eye she went and looked away as she seemed to be hugging herself nervously. He could sense how nerved Kira was from here and supposed that he couldn't blame her. Maybe now wasn't the best time to try and talk to her about what had happened.

* * *

With the town's lights out, the moon was the greatest source of light for most of Beacon Hills. Here and there, there were some jack o lanterns that helped to illuminate the area for people. For a pair of young preteens, they were targets for some aggressive fun. They drove their feet down and smashed lantern after lantern, laughing. But then they heard a sound. As it grew louder and closer, they realized that it wasn't one sound but many sounds sounding off as one. It was footsteps. In the mist of the night, five dark figures became visible in the moon's light. They were marching, together as one. The two kids saw that they were dressed as dark hooded…samurai. They could even see that each of them had the same mask on. The sight made the boys stiffen and remain as still as statues as they tried not to call any attention to themselves as they marched passed them. They remained still even after they disappeared down the road, out of their sight.

The five figures kept marching towards where there was some blinking lights ahead. It was from a pair of police cars though only one still had a deputy waiting inside for the engineer to show up to try and survey the damage while everybody else was inside the substation. He was listening to his dispatch radio as he looked up and spotted the five of them standing in front of the building. He quickly then opened his door and got out of the car.

"I'm sorry but you guys can't stay here. You have to move on now." The five of them kept their gaze at the substation as if he hadn't spoke. "I'm sorry but you all have to get going, now," he said louder and firmer to them.

As one, the five of them turned to look at him, giving him a good look at their masks. A soft clicking sound echoed through the air as they just stared at the deputy and it actually made him swallow a bit nervously. He even took a small step back. The five of them turned to look back at the substation again for a moment before they began to march away, as one. The deputy watched them as they marched off with his face going a bit pale and a shiver traveling through his spine. He was so tense as he watched them that he gave a start when someone tapped him on the shoulder but he calmed down quickly when he saw that it was just his partner.

"What's the matter with you?" the guy asked him.

The deputy looked back and saw that there was no more sign of the five dark figures. "Nothing," he said clearing his throat and shaking his head. "Just, you know, it all can get to a guy. Halloween, blackouts…really, _really_ good costumes."

"Right," his partner stretched awkwardly before he looked back at the substation. "Well, the faster they can get everything around here fixed, then the faster we can get the power back. Trust me, you don't want a blackout on Halloween of all times."

* * *

Kira was in her room lighting some candles since the power was out. She reached for her camera and then looked over at the mirror in front of her. She snapped a picture of her reflection. She then looked down at the screen and she let out a small gasp at the image. It was her but her eyes were lit up like a sun flare and…there seemed to be some kind of fire surrounding her. But it seemed to be in some kind of shape but she couldn't make out exactly what it was. What was happening to her? What was she?

* * *

Stiles was in his kitchen, pouring some cream into a mug, before he rose it and took a sip. Stiles made a face as he drank it. He then heard some movement behind him and saw his father walking into the room.

His dad sniffed the air before he narrowed his eyes. "Did you just make coffee?"

"Yeah," Stiles coughed out.

"Stiles…you don't drink coffee. You hate coffee."

"Yeah, and I'm remembering why," he said as he scrunched his face up before taking another sip. "But, I'm feeling kind of tired so I need a bit of a jump start."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Not really. I guess dealing with a psycho bomber that tried to zap a girl who didn't get so much as a scratch while the town got a full blackout might have something to do with it." Stiles went to take a step but when he did, he wobbled and it looked like he would fall. His dad moved to get to him but Stiles quickly steadied himself. "It's fine."

"Stiles," his dad said.

"Dad, really I'm okay." Stiles went to rub the top of his eyelids. "I just…lost my balance for a sec. It's fine. I'm fine," he pressed.

"Yeah…look Stiles, if you're not feeling up to it then you could skip it for today. You should go back upstairs and try and get some sleep."

But Stiles quickly shook his head. "No, I'm okay dad. I'll be fine. Besides, after last night we have to go and keep an eye on Kira."

"You know, normal kids would be trying to push their parents into letting them stay home from school not trying to argue into letting them go." But he sighed in defeat. "Okay, but come right back after school and get some rest, okay?"

"Okay," Stiles mumbled as he went to put down the mug of coffee and reached for his bag.

But before Stiles could begin to leave the kitchen his dad stopped him. "Stiles, I think there is something you should know. I don't know if how it all fits together exactly but there are some things surrounding Barrow's escape that I think you might need to know."

Stiles' face fell. "What?"

* * *

The high school's hallways were darker than usual with the scattered windows and doors providing the only source of light. The power was still out but classes would still be resuming. A fact that Coach Finstock wanted to make sure was loud and clear. And by loud and clear, it was literally meant by him strolling through the halls with a bullhorn in hand.

He hit the buzzer button on it before he put it back to mic. "Class starts in five minutes. Just because there's no power, don't expect there to be no school."

He passed by Stiles who was finishing putting some books in his locker. "That was a triple negative. Very impressive there Coach."

"Copy that," Coach said back to him with the bullhorn.

Stiles was getting ready to close his locker when he accidentally knocked his keys over. He picked them up when he narrowed his eyes as he saw that there was an extra key on his ring. "Hello, where did you come from?" he mumbled. But he didn't think much more on it since he turned and noticed Scott walk through the doors. He then saw Scott stop and look over to the side. Stiles looked over and saw that he was looking at Kira. As soon as she noticed Scott, she quickly turned around and started to move off quickly. Scott went to try and catch her but Stiles quickly went over and grabbed him. "No, nope," he said pulling him away. "Stop."

"I need to talk to her," he tried to argue.

But Stiles didn't let Scott go. "No, you don't. Remember that someone left a coded message telling Barrow to kill her."

"Which is why I need to talk to her."

"Scott, no way. Look, we literally know nothing about this girl. Who she really is or what she is and why she was taken. Until we figure out if she's another psychotic monster that's going to go around murdering everybody I vote against any and all interaction," he said shaking his head and nipping the thought in the bud.

"And what if she's like me?" Scott tried.

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "That girl walked through 1.21 gigawatts of electricity, she's not like you." He remembered perfectly well what electricity did to werewolves. Scott was completely stunned and rendered helpless by Barrow and that was only from a small zap. But Kira got shocked so badly that power went out for the whole town and didn't get so much as a scratch.

"Fine." Scott just let a frustrated sigh out and then walked off in the opposite direction.

Stiles started turning the keys in his hands before he remembered finding the new key on the ring. He wondered what it was for. Stiles was moving off for class to when he suddenly felt a little light headed. He grabbed for a combination lock on a nearby locker as he saw everything get blurred for a second. He shut his eyes and shook his head before everything went back into focus.

"Okay," he muttered softly to himself. "I'm okay." He then cleared his throat and wiped at the side of his lips before he moved off for class.

* * *

Ethan was changing in the locker room after gym class when he caught sight of Danny across the room. He looked a little stressed. He saw that he was on the phone and listened in on him.

"Don't you have like portable generators? It's a blacklight party, it's not like you need a ton of power…okay I get it," he huffed in defeat. He then hung up and slammed his fist angrily into a locker.

Ethan moved to intercept him before he could leave. "Blacklight party?" he asked him.

"More like cancelled party," Danny murmured. "The venue I booked won't have power for at least another day."

"Need help finding a new place?"

"What's the point? Nothing in town is going to have power? Thanks anyway." Danny then walked off like a wounded animal.

Ethan watched him go off before he was joined by his brother.

"You want to throw a Halloween party? What's next, going to join the Yearbook Club?" Aiden said teasingly.

"Just trying to do something nice," Ethan muttered to him.

"Why? Who cares?"

Ethan looked back at where Danny left before looking back at him. "He does. You don't get it do you? Scott doesn't care about power, he cares about people." ' _Why doesn't he get it?_ ' Ethan thought. _'Isn't this the whole reason that he talked me into agreeing to being back in school so that we could try and convince Scott to let them into his pack.'_ Ethan narrowed his eyes as soon as the thought finished hitting him. "You still want to be a wolf in his pack? Try being a human in high school," he said before nearly stomping away from his brother.

Ethan then left the locker room but Aiden watched him go off wondering why was he so mad at him for. He quickly got changed and headed quickly to his next class and sat down, right next to Lydia. He arrived just in time to see Lydia's mother walk over and place a worksheet in front of her.

"Sweetheart," her mother said to her in a small voice. "Since this is the first class I've taught in five years I just want to remind you of one thing: Try not to embarrass me."

Lydia just shrugged at her. "You should've thought about that before wearing those shoes." Her mother looked down at her shoes before smirking at her. A smirk that Lydia returned. "Love you," she teased.

"Love you too," her mother teased back before going off to hand the rest of the sheets out.

"Why is your mom teaching Biology?" Aiden asked.

"Because Mr. Harris used to teach Biology until his new occupation. Human sacrifice," she looked at him pointedly.

Aiden leaned back a bit. "What? I didn't kill him." Which was the complete truth. It was Jennifer who killed Harris and those other people. But Lydia seemed to still be mad at him. "Lydia, what?" He didn't understand why she was mad at him. He thought that they made up yesterday.

Lydia lifted her head up but didn't look at him. "The other night…I helped save someone's life. That felt, really good." She then looked at him. "And I look at you and all I could think is that you helped kill Boyd. You're not just a bad boy Aiden…you're a bad guy. And I don't want to be with the bad guys." She then turned to look away from him. Lydia meant every word of that. True, she had always been drawn to the whole bad boy thing. First it had been with Jackson and then with Aiden. It had always felt exhilarating for her…but she would always have to be doing or ignoring something that would end up making her feel kind of bad at the end. Last night, to be and work alongside Stiles and Scott in both saving Kira and in helping Malia, while it might be scary and tense in the thick of it she ended up feeling satisfied with what they done and with herself long after the end of it. She liked that feeling and something told her that Aiden wouldn't be giving her uplifting after feeling.

Aiden just deflated as Lydia turned away. _'How could I forget? She had been there that night. Yeah, I didn't actually kill him but I did help Kali kill Boyd by holding Derek's claws out for him to fall onto. And she saw me standing over his body. She knows what I did that night. Scott said that his friends don't trust us. We can't do anything right now about Stiles or Isaac but we could start with getting Lydia's trust in me back. I've got to get that image of me there over Boyd out of her head though.'_ That's when he remembered something special about that particular place and thought he might be able to kill two birds with one stone.

He turned around to Danny. "I think I know a place where you can have your party."

* * *

Derek was getting his jacket on as he was preparing to leave the loft to run some errands. While most of the town was lacking power, he wasn't as his place had its own separate power system. He did take a look and realized how…empty the place was. His pack was all but gone now with Erica and Boyd dead and Isaac now with Scott. His sister Cora was far away from here, in hiding from those hunters that were looking for her. Scott and especially Stiles didn't need him anymore to deal with stabilizing their lives as werewolves. Even his uncle wasn't here. As he shut the door behind him, he smiled at how ironic it was that when he finally got to be alone, he wished for some company.

* * *

Allison was out in the quad, enjoying some lunch outside as she didn't feel like eating in the dimly lit cafeteria with no power. Besides, she preferred to be in the bright sunlight right now to try and distance her mind from the fact that some kind of 'things' came from the shadows and her dad had said they might be after him. She was checking on her copy of the bestiary to see if there might be some references to creatures, shadows and cold. She was looking so intently down at her tablet so she couldn't see that across the quad, Isaac had spotted her. He was standing there, just watching her read and eat lunch alone. Ever since last night, he couldn't stop thinking about their tense moment together. Well, that and the fact that dark figures came from the shadows and nearly iced his insides. He wanted to know where exactly that could've led to if her father hadn't shown up when he did.

' _What am I waiting for?_ ' he huffed as soon as the thought sounded in his head. ' _Why do I feel like I want to do something wrong? Because of Scott? He's not with Allison anymore. Besides, I've seen the way that he's been looking at that new girl. Kira. He's moving on, so it should be okay that I'm moving in, right?_ '

He bit the bullet and started to walk over towards her when some shouts made him stop. He looked over and saw that some people were shouting at one another from across. Isaac looked over and saw that a girl was shouting at a guy moving ahead of her to stop when he stomped over to another guy and gave him a good shove.

"You stay away from my girlfriend, you hear me!" he said as he roughly pushed at him.

The guy nearly fell back but managed to stay on his feet before he went and shoved him back.

"I can talk to whoever I like!" he roared back at him.

The first guy didn't fall either and he went for the guy again but this time with a fist. The guy ducked before he went to throw his own punch which hit its mark. But the first guy then threw himself for the guy and speared him down to the ground and was on top of him as he started to pound and beat down on him. Suddenly he saw Allison running over to them which made him run too. Allison went and grabbed the guy's raised right arm and quickly thrust it behind his back making him stand up and stiffen in pain. Isaac went to grab onto the second guy and pulled him to his feet and held him back as he tried to charge and attack the other guy back. Isaac narrowed his eyes as he smelled blind fury coming out of the two guys but as he held onto his guy, he noticed that his eyes seemed a little glazed over even as he tried to free himself from Isaac's grip. He looked back over at Allison and the one she was holding and saw that his eyes seemed the same way. Allison and Isaac held and tried to keep the two of them apart when there was a loud beeping sound.

Coach Finstock was moving through the sea of spectators with his bullhorn out and proud in his hand. "What the hell's going on here?" he asked through the bullhorn. Isaac and Allison let the two of them go and the guys just silently glared at the ground. "Anyone? Oh, well maybe you might be in a more chatty mood in detention. Now, get your asses to the Principal's office," he hollered to the two of them. The two fighters let out angry huffs but went on to head for the office like Coach told them to. Coach then looked over to Allison and Isaac. "Lahey, Argent," he said calmly to them, still through the bullhorn. He then began to walk off after those two boys too. "Oh blackouts, always a step away from chaos," he sighed to himself.

Allison moved over to Isaac. "Thanks," she said in a small voice.

He shrugged. "I was just following your lead." He would've smiled at her but his mind still was on what he sensed and picked up from those two. The rage they were feeling at each other, it seemed to suddenly just disappear. Now, from the two of them he could only sense confusion...and pain which he guessed was natural but he still narrowed his eyes at it.

"Is something wrong?" she asked when she noticed the look on his face.

"What isn't wrong lately?" he said giving her a look as her face tightened up at his double meaning.

* * *

Scott was finding it hard to focus on anything today as he couldn't get last night with Kira out of his mind. During Mr. Yukimura's history class, he tried to make eye contact with Kira but she kept her head down the entire time. He looked over a few times at Stiles and saw that he seemed to be looking at her two but his watch seemed to be of suspicion. It was now lunch time and he could use a good break right now. As he was walking through the halls though, he stopped as he saw up ahead that there were two girls yelling at each other and were making no effort into being quiet about why. He could smell the rage and anger that those two had with one another.

He quickly turned to take an alternate route in heading for cafeteria when he noticed Kira, sitting off against the wall in a corner of the hallway eating lunch by herself. Scott made to step over to her when he remembered Stiles' words. He started to turn away when a thought popped into his head.

' _Why should I stay away? Because Stiles told me to? Because he thinks Kira might be dangerous? He's not exactly the best judge of character, right? I mean, he thinks that Allison can't be trusted and you know that she is one of the people that I trust the most. She made one bad decision and he's ready to hold it against her forever and you know that he's not being fair. He's wrong about her…so he must be wrong about Kira too_. _How are we supposed to know if she is dangerous if we don't give her a chance?_ '

Scott found himself nodding to that before he took a deep breath and started to stroll on over to Kira. She hadn't noticed him until he was starting to set his bag down. He then moved to sit down right next to her.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said as soon as he was fully down.

Scott shrugged. "Okay." He then brought out his math textbook. "You want to talk about the pre-calc test on Friday?" he said a little too upbeat. "The teacher takes all the equations right out of the book."

Kira stared at the book before she went and closed it for him. She seemed to be struggling with something before she looked up at him. "Do you have your phone?" she asked nervously. Scott nodded. "I'm going to show you something that no one else has ever seen. No one except for Barrow." She then turned herself fully to him. "Take a picture of me, and use the flash."

Scott brought out his phone and took a picture like she asked. He looked down and saw some kind of fiery outline surrounding her. "Whoa," he said as he looked at it.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"What is it?"

But she shook her head. "I don't know. It just started showing up a couple of months ago. It only happens with the flash on and I don't know how, but Barrow knew about it. He used my own phone to take pictures of me," she explained.

And Scott's eyes widened as he understood. "And that's why you wanted it back."

"If someone sees those pictures-"

She didn't have to say another word. "We need to get your phone back."

"How?" she asked him.

Scott sighed. He had an idea…but he knew that he was definitely going to be hearing it.

* * *

Stiles was sitting in his math class, staring ahead at the blackboard though he really wasn't seeing it. His mind was going a 100 miles a minute so he jumped when his teacher went and slammed a hand at his desk.

"Stiles!" she nearly shouted out.

Stiles blinked before shook his head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just focused on the board."

She looked at the formulas on the board and then looked back down at his desk. "You really were. So focused, that you didn't take a single note down," she said looking at the blank page of his notebook. "And, also to not seem to notice that the bell rang two minutes ago."

Stiles took a look around and saw that the classroom was empty and he was the only one left. "Oh," he said leaning back into his chair before moving to gather his things.

"Stiles, this isn't like you. Is everything okay?" She then focused on his face. "Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Yeah, I'm fine and yes I'm sleeping," he said moving to get up. "I'm sorry. I have to get going."

He then left the classroom when the hallway and people around him began to blur a bit. He stopped and went to put his thumb and forefinger over his closed eyes and applied some pressure as he started to feel a tingle, and not the good kind. He kept applying pressure until the tingle just stopped. He then let go and opened his eyes to see that everything seemed normal. He was starting to think that maybe staying home to sleep might've been the better idea after all.

"Stiles." He turned around to see that Isaac was approaching him. "Have you seen Scott?"

"He had lunch but I'm heading to English and he'll be there, why? What's wrong?"

"I have to talk to him," he said going off towards the direction of the English room.

But Stiles grabbed him and stopped him before he could go anywhere. "Isaac, what is it?"

There was then a crash and the two of them saw that there was a guy being shoved into the lockers by another guy who was glaring at him.

"That," Isaac said pointing at them. "People are starting to act a little crazy around here today. Already, there had been four fights, that I know of. Allison and I had to break one of them up a few minutes ago." That and he was thinking that maybe he might also be a good idea to talk to Scott about the surprise guests that Allison's father said might be after him. Yes, he asked to keep it quiet but he was still feeling chills thinking about it and, for some reason, he's been feeling them a lot since he got to school.

"You and Allison?" Stiles said dully while raising his eyes at him.

"Yeah, me and Allison," he said a little short.

"And this is why you need to talk to Scott so badly?"

"Haven't you been sensing..." But then Isaac shook his head and let a small smirk find its way to him. "No, right, of course you wouldn't be able to anymore which is why I need to talk to Scott, not you."

Stiles narrowed his eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Isaac just shook his head. "I don't know, it's just...are you sure you should still be involved. I mean, Scott told me about how you and he went into that substation to find Barrow."

"Yeah, and I'm the one that figured out that he was going to be there," he defended himself stiffly.

"I'm just saying that it was lucky that Scott was the one to find him first. I mean, what would've you done if Barrow had gotten to you first? You don't heal anymore, remember? He could've killed you and where would that have left Scott?"

Stiles' jaw tightened. "And just where were you when all this was happening? How were you helping Scott by being in a certain apartment? With a certain someone," he said raising his chin up at Isaac.

"I was trying to help look through the bestiary," he said with a bit of bite.

"Oh, funny, I didn't think you spoke Archaic Latin," he said with accusing eyes.

Isaac let an impatient huff out. "Look, just tell Scott that I need to talk to him."

He then went off leaving Stiles letting a hard puff out from his nose and tightening his hold on the backpack strap.

* * *

Danny was led to the loft by the Twins and saw that this place still had power and the space needed for his party. But, from what he could see, it looked like someone did actually live here.

"Where did you say that the guy was that lived here?" he asked Ethan.

"He's out of town," he told him.

Aiden finished setting up one of the lofts generators up and Ethan went and turned on one of the blacklights and illuminated Danny's bright shirt and teeth.

"Oh yeah," he said as he saw that he was back in business. He then went and sent out a mass text invite for everyone to come to his party with the new address.

* * *

Derek was parking his van when he suddenly stiffened as he felt something approaching him. He turned around to see that it was just three kids, in costumes.

"Trick or Treat!" they said to him happily.

Derek eyed them silently for a bit and saw that he was starting to make them a bit nervous. But then he went over and pulled out a small bag of candy that he had bought for himself. He went and handed each of them a piece but they still seemed to be a little too nervous to move right away so he went and brought out his fangs and blue eyes and let a small growl at them to make them run off. Derek let a small chuckle loose. He remembered when Laura would do that to some children when they were living in New York at Halloween. He always thought it was stupid but he could see now why she liked doing it.

He put the candy away and was about to start gathering up his things when the feeling of being watched was back. He felt a chilling gust of wind and looked back to see three shadowy figures suddenly appear out of thin air. One of them looked at him with glowing yellowish eyes and let out a hiss like sound.

* * *

Suffice to say, when Scott had told Stiles that he had spoken to Kira, he had gotten annoyed with him for not listening to his advice. Even more annoyed when Scott had asked him for help in retrieving Kira's phone for her. But Stiles found himself in his jeep, outside the Sheriff's station, waiting until Scott and Kira arrived next to him on his bike.

"Okay," he said handing Scott a cardkey. "This one will get you through all the perimeter doors." He then handed him another. "This one into the Evidence Room." And then a third. "This one into my father's office."

Scott looked at all the cards and wondered how Stiles got keycards to give them full access to the building. "You didn't steal these, did you?"

"No, cloned them. Using an RFID emulator," he answered.

Scott's eyes widened as all that sounded pretty bad. "Is that worse than stealing?"

"Smarter," Stiles shrugged.

Kira nodded before she pulled Scott aside. "Scott, can I ask you something?"

"Okay, I'll just…" Stiles mumbled after them. As they distanced themselves, Stiles wondered why they were. It wasn't like he went and decided to help them out, even though he was annoyed that Scott chose not to listen to him, and help them break into his dad's office behind his dad's back. Oh wait, he was.

"Scott," Kira said throwing a look Stiles' way. "You didn't tell him anything, did you? About the pictures?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I just told him that you had some pictures on your phone that you didn't want anyone to see."

"What kind of pictures?" she asked him.

Scott tensed up a bit. "Naked pictures," he choked out.

He was waiting for Kira to glare at him or even hit him but all she managed to say was…"Oh. Good idea."

Scott blinked as he was surprised that she wasn't mad at him. "Cool."

They went back to Stiles who nodded as they were finished with their private moment. "Okay. Now, almost everyone is out to deal with the blackout but there is always somebody at the front desk. Dispatch and usually a night shifter or two. You guys should use the service door entrance by the dumpster. Alright, no one uses it. I'll text you if anyone comes out, but Scott, you guys get caught then I can't help you," he warned. "My dad is still under investigation for impeachment because of your dad so if anything happens, I will run and leave you both for dead."

Kira's eyes widened. She didn't know if Stiles was being serious or was joking. She was quickly learning that it seemed to all be the same with him.

But Scott just nodded. "Got it. And, seriously dude thanks."

Stiles just nodded. "I'd ask my dad but you know-"

"I know. I get it."

"Alright, just…hurry up," he groaned out to them as he pointed off to the building.

Scott then quickly led Kira through the station, being careful to dodge the deputies inside until they found their way into the evidence room. Kira went for the evidence boxes on a cabinet while Stiles went to a pile of bags on a table across the room. He shifted through them until he quickly found her phone.

"Kira," he said holding it out to her.

Kira smiled at him as she took it but when she turned it on, she saw that there was no power. "It's dead," she mumbled to him. Scott sighed. "We have to take it," she told him.

But he shook his head. "No, they'll know it's gone." He knew they had to delete the pictures here, somehow.

"How do we charge it if the power is out?"

Scott shook his head before he saw a laptop on the desk nearby. "See if you can find a charger cable."

Kira looked through the desk as Scott turned the computer on. She found one and inserted it in as the computer was fully booted up and up popped a picture of a small boy being hugged by someone. The sight made Scott freeze.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Me…me and my dad," he mumbled. This was his dad's computer.

Kira then went and connected the phone to the charger as it slowly started to recharge.

* * *

Stiles just sat in his jeep, just stewing in the dark silence. He threw a dark look over at the station door where Scott had gone through with Kira. He had told him to avoid Kira until they knew for sure it was safe and Scott just went and gone to Kira practically the first chance he got. Not only that, but he was sure that Scott was keeping and/or lying to him about her. About Kira's phone for starters. Scott may have told them why they needed it, but he hoped that Scott wasn't risking their hides, and his dad's hide, just to have Kira avoid some embarrassment with naked pictures supposedly on her phone. It was obviously something supernaturally related, related to Kira, and he didn't want to tell him about it.

 _'That shouldn't be a surprise though_ ,' Stiles thought in a dark corner of his mind. _'Scott always refuses to listen to any kind of advice if it goes against letting him be close to a pretty face. Especially when those pretty faces may be hiding something that may want to hurt and/or kill him or worse, everyone around him. And here I am, again, left by myself so that he could score points to a girl that we don't know anything about, again.'_

He started to anxiously jingle his keys to help with his thoughts when he caught sight of the new mystery key again. But before he could start think on it, headlights shined on him as a car pulled into the lot. Stiles stiffened as he saw it was Scott's dad.

"Oh hell," he said as he went for his phone to send the text. But Agent McCall was quickly moving into the station and he knew he wouldn't be able to type and send the text in time. "Oh, I'm so going to regret this," he said as he went to open his door. He might be annoyed with Scott but he's not going to just throw him to the wolves (pun totally intended).


	8. Illuminated part 2

Chapter 8: Illuminated part 2

Agent McCall was moving in for the Evidence Room when he heard a loud noise behind him and turned just in time to see Stiles stumbling on in and move to stand in front of him.

"Thank god you are here," Stiles as he stood between Agent McCall and the door to the office. "Good lord," he added a little louder before letting himself bump into the door slightly.

His actions made Scott look up and notice them through the door's window. "Anything?" Scott whispered to her. But Kira shook her head as she showed him her dark phone screen.

"What do you want Stiles?" McCall asked him.

Stiles took a deep breath and tried to find something to say. "Uh geez, I…I just, well thinking, on the case." He decided that that seemed a reasonable excuse as any. He then remembered his and his father's talk this morning. "I think that maybe I should clue you in on what I was thinking. And, I was thinking this. I was thinking that, Barrow had to receive the information about who to kill at the school probably after or maybe even during the lockdown. Just listen, it had to be someone that knew that he was going to hide there, who was probably the same someone that might've made that pileup early yesterday morning to help distract the police and the hospital to help in his escape. He, or she, probably also knew all about where his surgery was and even what time it was to know when was the best time to make all that craziness happen. So…I think that, whoever it is, has to be connected with both the police and the school. So…it's probably a good idea if you start looking through all the people who have ties to both?" he finished nodding at him.

That only made McCall raise his head a bit.

Kira lightly gasped as her screen lit up. "It's on," she whispered over to him excitedly.

Scott nodded as he looked to her but then turned quickly back to look at his father and Stiles just in time for his father to tell Stiles that he was right.

"I am?" Stiles asked a little surprised.

"Yeah, we started to look for links between Barrow, the faculty and even the station personnel last night."

Kira watched as her phone finished booting up and then moved through her apps to get to her pictures.

"Oh? So, then you already know about that stuff. You already thought of that?" Stiles said more louder than usual. He honestly wasn't surprised. But it wasn't Scott's dad who came up with it, it was his own. His father came up with that theory and had shared it with him and told him that they had started looking into it. He wanted Stiles to be alert at the school for anyone that might be able to get information about things inside the station.

"Your dad did," McCall mumbled. "His one, useful suggestion."

Agent McCall then moved to step around Stiles and swipe his keycard through but before he could enter into the door, Stiles moved to step in front of him and cut him off. Stiles' face went hard as he glared slightly at him. If there was one thing that he absolutely would not stand for, it was someone insulting his father.

"You know," he said not raising his voice but dropping it to a low, but controlled angry tone. "This attitude that you have towards my dad, you can dress it up to all the professional disapproval that you want but I know the _real_ reason you don't like him."

McCall just smirked down at him. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, because he knows something that don't want him to know," Stiles said to him unflinchingly. He looked at Scott's dad just roll his eyes at him and move to try and get passed him but Stiles held his ground. "And guess what…I know it too."

Stiles meant that as both a warning and a threat. One that actually had the man take a step back and give him a look. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before he sighed. "Go home Stiles. There's a curfew," he said in a low voice. Stiles gave him one last glare before he moved for the door but he wobbled after his third step and quickly reached the nearby desk to catch himself before he fell. "Whoa, Stiles you okay?"

Stiles blinked and shook his head a bit. "Yeah," he said quickly before pushed himself to be firmly back on his feet. He cleared his throat and wiped at his nose. "I'm fine." And without turning to look back at McCall he began to head out the door.

Agent McCall watched Stiles until he was firmly out the front door before he went and moved into the office. He stepped inside and noticed that the door to the Evidence Room was ajar. He narrowed his eyes at that.

Right outside in the parking lot, Stiles was leaning against his jeep. He was rubbing at his eyes as Scott and Kira began to run out of the service exit heading for him.

"We did it," Scott smiled. "All the pics deleted."

Kira was smiling too. She was on the verge of laughing. "God, that was awesome," she squealed. That actually made both Scott and Stiles widen their eyes at her. She shook her head. "I mean, it was terrifying. Completely terrifying but…kind of awesome," she said smiling again. That made Scott smile and even Stiles couldn't help a small grin forming on his own face. "I've never done anything like that before. Have you?"

Scott and Stiles went to share a small and uncomfortable look.

"Yeah, once or twice," Stiles said. ' _A week_ ,' he added silently. But then Stiles let out a small puff of air as he felt his temples pounding on him again.

Scott face sobered up. "Hey, you okay Stiles?"

"Huh," Stiles said as blinked and shook his head a bit. "Uh, yeah. It's just a headache."

But Scott heard the uptick of his heart which told him that he was lying. ' _Stiles has been through a lot,'_ Scott suddenly thought _. 'He isn't as resilient as he used to be and he's been coming along and doing all these things with me like he still is. It's bound to catch up with him._ ' Scott thought maybe it would be best if Stiles took it more easier from now on. "Stiles…maybe you should go home and try and get some rest?" he gently suggested.

"Really, I'm fine," Stiles tried as he kept rubbing at his temple a bit.

Scott heard the skip in his heart again. "Really Stiles, it's okay now. You've helped out enough so just, go home, take some medicine and relax. We'll talk later, okay?"

Stiles stopped rubbing as he kept his hand at the side of his temple before he nodded. "Maybe you're right."

"Thank you Stiles," Kira said to him softly.

Stiles lowered his hands and looked at Kira's grinning face and found himself giving her a nod. "Sure." He thought that she seemed nice enough. She didn't feel like she was dangerous but…it was still too soon to call.

He then moved to move into his jeep and started it so that he could head on home. Scott and Kira watched as Stiles pulled out of the parking lot before they eyed each other a bit awkwardly.

"Uh…ride home?" Scott said looking over at his bike.

"Yeah," Kira nodded.

Scott moved to put on his helmet and then got on his bike before Kira moved to sit behind him. But, Scott then remembered a text that he had gotten just before they had headed for the Sheriff's Station. "Uh, hey you wouldn't want to go to a party, would you?"

* * *

Isaac and Allison pulled open the sliding door to see that Derek's loft was abuzz with blacklight, music and tons of dancing and drunk people. Everyone was dressed or painted in fluorescent paint that made them all light up with the blacklight making the whole room seem brighter. When Danny sent the mass text out, the two of them had recognized the address immediately and went to check it out. But, the two of them hadn't been prepared for any of this when they finally got there.

"Derek can never know about this," Isaac said as his eyes scanned the room. He could only imagine what he would do if he did find out. From the look on her face, Isaac guessed that Allison agreed with him.

Over at another part of the room, Danny was surveying the room with a proud grin on his face. It seemed that his party was a success. A grin that grew wider when Ethan came up behind him with his torso painted in neon streaks that kind of looked like claw marks.

"Happy?" he asked.

"Very," Danny nodded.

"Good. Now it's my time to be happy." He looked over at the paint artist and moved Danny over to her. "This one needs to be painted up."

"Face or body?" she asked.

Ethan looked at Danny and then moved to rip his shirt in half. "Body." Before Danny could get painted, someone at the drink stand shouted for ice. Ethan saw Danny was going to move to take care of it. "I got it," Ethan offered before he left him to be painted while he moved for the supply closet.

Danny was being painted in archaic markings when he felt a sudden chill in the air. Like a cool breeze from an open window. He looked over but saw nothing there. As he turned his head, a dark shadowy figure was moving about before it vanished in a puff of black smoke. All around the party, there were sudden chills as there was more than one of these things.

Ethan moved to grab some ice from the bags that were brought over. He turned on the light as he moved to grab a few when the light went out. He moved to turn it back on but it kept flickering until it went off again. He tried to fix it again but it shut off barely a second later. He moved to try and tighten it and it turned on and stayed on. Ethan was about to move but he noticed that he wasn't alone. There were dark and masked figures around him. He heard some kind of low hissing and clicking sound before they went in for him. The door to the room shut to block out any sounds of him screaming.

* * *

Scott and Kira got to the loft to see that the party was in full swing. To Scott, it seemed like the perfect thing to distract them from all the recent trouble that they've had recently with Barrow and the tension around what happened with Kira. They tried to move through the sea of dancing people together but with all the moving around, they were starting to drift apart. Scott moved over and grabbed a hold of Kira's hand. She looked up at him with a nervous grin on her face as he tried to keep his face impassive.

"Thanks," she said to him.

With the loud music booming through the air, Scott couldn't hear what she just said. "What?" he asked leaning in to her.

Kira then moved towards his ear and yelled 'Thanks" to him.

Scott's grin widened. "For what?" he shouted back.

Kira's own smile widened to show her teeth which glowed in the blacklight. "For everything."

Scott smiled and watched as the music playing changed to that of a slow song. Everyone on the dance floor started to settle a bit and Scott scanned the room to see if he could see anyone he recognized…and he did. His eyes widened when he spotted Allison across the room. His smile fell a bit when she turned and spotted him too, with Kira, with their hands still linked together.

Kira noticed the change in Scott's face and tried to follow his line of sight and found Allison too. She saw how her face fell when she spotted him and looked over to see that Scott seemed to look like he was feeling hurt and guilty. She seemed to understand what was going on. Though she didn't know much about Scott and his group of friends she could guess that Scott and Allison must had been a thing not too long ago and it looked like they weren't really over each other. She quickly let go of Scott's hand and started to step away from him.

Isaac was heading over to Allison when he noticed that she seemed mystified. He looked at the direction that she was looking in and saw that it was Scott that she had her gaze locked in on. He was standing right next to Kira. He was staring back at her with the same mystified look. He let out a small sigh and went to try and find a corner and let himself have some much needed space.

Allison and Scott kept their gazes on one another before they let themselves give each other a small smile. Allison gave a nod to Scott while he nodded back to her. It was like they had silently told one another that: It was okay. It was okay to try and meet and date new people. They weren't together anymore, they had to accept that. And the way to accept that was to move on.

Scott then turned but saw that Kira wasn't by him anymore. He tried to look through the sea of dancing people but it was hard to see and really tell one person apart from another. Scott tried to sharpen his gaze and let his eyes shift to better his focus. He then spotted what seemed to be a bright luminescent glow. He saw that it was coming from Kira. It was the same glow that they saw when he had taken her picture with the flash. There was the outline around her again. It looked kind of like an animal. It looked like maybe Stiles might have been right. Kira definitely wasn't like him but…what exactly was she?

Allison was moving through the dance floor for a bit until she finally found Isaac. He was just standing, with his hands in his pockets, surveying the crowd. She went off and moved to join him.

"See Scott?" Isaac said trying not to look like he was annoyed.

"Yep," Allison said as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Something happen?" he asked her in the same tone.

"No." With all the music and loud chatter going around, he could hear her heartbeat but Isaac could still feel that she wasn't telling him the truth. "Why would you think something happened?" she asked looking over at him.

"Well, didn't you tell him about what happened?"

She shook her head. "No, we still have a couple of hours, remember? Promised my dad."

"You promised your dad," he pointed out.

"Yeah and I promised him in order to protect him," she said, starting to sound defensive.

"You did…I didn't."

"Is protecting my father such a bad thing?" she asked him pointedly.

Isaac just turned away from her. "I just don't like keeping secrets from Scott." Among other things. Isaac didn't like not knowing where Allison really stood with either him or Scott. Isaac really did like Allison, but he had to wonder if she was still holding out for Scott. He didn't just live with Scott but the guy was also his Alpha. Isaac didn't want to have something happen again like what had come between him and Derek when he had been kicked out by him.

Allison just stared at him. "No…you don't. You just like to stand there awkwardly. Waiting for someone to notice us…whatever we are. Then, you like to make things…incredibly uncomfortable."

Isaac looked over at her with a small grin. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Allison smiled a bit. "What do you think it means?"

Isaac still had his smile on. "I think…it means you're probably mad."

"I'm not mad," she said almost laughing at him.

"No?" he asked her with his smile dropping a bit.

"No," she told him.

"Okay."

Allison then sighed. "I'm frustrated."

Isaac let a small smirk make its way onto him. "Sexually?" he tried to tease.

Allison just let out an amused smile at him and then started to move for the dance floor and tugged onto his hands to pull him onto it with her. Isaac tried to resist for a bit, still feeling a little annoyed about earlier, but he found himself giving in and letting her lead him on. They moved over for the artist's table where Allison reached for a paintbrush and then started to take off her top revealing her luminescent bra.

"Do you want to talk about Scott or paint my body?" she asked him.

Isaac stared at her for a few seconds and suddenly forgot all about being annoyed and worried about Scott. "I want to paint your body," he said unflinchingly.

* * *

Stiles was pulling his jeep into the driveway when he got another fit of pressure on his head. He moved to try and rub at where it was hurting him and bumped into the police scanner that he had placed into his jeep switching it on. He heard some police chatter before he moved to quickly turn it off and opened the car door and hopped out.

Stiles stumbled into his home to see that all the lights were out and it was completely quiet. His father wasn't home because he was still dealing with trying to manage the blackout. Stiles went over and reached for a bottle of water before he went to one of the cabinets and pulled out some aspirin. He quickly took two of them and then started to drink them down. When he stopped, he bent his head down a bit as the pressure he was feeling in his head only got worse. The medicine clearly wasn't helping. Stiles grit his teeth and looked about when his eyes stopped at his dad's cabinet. The one where he kept a few bottles of liquor. Stiles let out some deep heated breaths before he moved for it. He took out the nearest bottle, which was one of some vodka and pulled the cap off and began drinking. The liquid burned as it went down his throat but Stiles started to breathe a little easier as the thumping on his head started to numb itself. He kept taking sip after sip, until it was finally all gone and he let his shoulders drop as he went and slowly slid from the wall he was leaning on until his bottom hit the floor. He felt as light as a feather. Everything felt so distant, all his worries, his memories, and especially his pain. He only felt a relaxing buzz moving around his body. In a corner of his mind, he realized that he might actually be drunk right now.

"Well," he mumbled to himself in a drunken stupor. "At least one good thing came from not being a werewolf anymore." He let a tired smile travel on his lips. He then went to try and get to his feet but when he rolled to the side he felt a small sting. "Ow," he sputtered before he sat flat again.

Stiles dug into his pocket and saw that his keys had dug into him. His eyes then went back to the new mystery key. He kept staring at it, wondering what it was for. He had talked to his dad earlier and he told him that he hadn't put a new key on his ring so Stiles had no clue what it was even for and, right now, he didn't care. He was here, in the dark, alone, while everyone else was out there doing who knew what. He couldn't help but remember Isaac's taunts earlier. Stiles had spited him by not telling Scott that Isaac wanted to see him but it wouldn't matter because chances were that the two of them were in the same place right now anyway. He thought that when their doors were finally closed, they could all get back to normal but Stiles wasn't feeling normal. Sure, he could read again and could tell he was definitely awake or asleep again but he wasn't anywhere close to normal. He was starting to feel a little weak from time to time and now was getting migraines out of nowhere. He couldn't help but start to feel worthless and from how Isaac acted with him and how he knew that Scott was both ignoring his advice and now lying to him, they were starting to think him less important to even keep around.

A small bit of pressure was being felt towards the inside of the back of his head and he went to slam his head into the wall a bit to try and quell it. He then went to take another quick drink from the bottle to make it go away. The pressure started to numb itself but his eyes started to get foggy as he let himself slump lifelessly where he sat on the floor.

* * *

When Lydia decided it was long enough to be fashionably late, she headed inside the loft to join the blacklight party. She went to get herself a drink and just wandered around, watching everyone dance and have a good time. She went to a corner to enjoy her drink when she saw a flash of green and some red fangs. She rolled her eyes when Aiden made a mocking roar at her. He was without his shirt as his whole torso was painted neon green and had red neon plastic fangs in his mouth.

He took out the fake fangs and smiled at her. "Not as good as the real ones."

Lydia just smirked at him. "Or as lethal."

Aiden nodded. "Okay," he said. "Sure, I deserve that. I deserve basically everything you say about me but, you know, I was pretty instrumental about setting this up."

They both looked over at the party in full swing in front of them.

"All this?" Lydia said as if she wasn't impressed. "If I wanted to go to a rave then I'd get into a time machine and go back to the 90's." She gave him a good tap to his shoulder before she went to separate from him.

Aiden watched her as she left and let out a hard growl in frustration. He looked off and noticed two girls checking him out not too far away. Aiden let out a small puff from his nose and made his way over to them.

Lydia emptied her cup and leaned over by a column. She let her eyes scan the room. She noticed Allison with a good part of her body painted and she was dancing with Isaac who had a good part of his face painted. They looked like they were having a fun time. "Oh, finally," Lydia sighed out. She had noticed the way those two had been stepping around each other for a while now but not really make a move. She then looked around and spotted Scott say something to Kira and then lead her off away from the dance floor. "Understandably." Lydia saw how much attention that Scott seemed to be paying attention to Kira even before that whole thing with Barrow happened and after that, it was sure to really shake things up for them. She then let her sights land on Aiden who was dirty dancing with two girls off to the side. "Predictably," she scoffed. Aiden saw that he wasn't going to bend over to him so he making someone else do it to both get to her and make himself feel better.

Lydia looked away from the display when a dark flash made her turn back. She saw something off in the shadows. It kind of looked like someone dressed all in black. She didn't know who or what as it seemed to vanish almost as soon as she set eyes on it. She then caught the same black streak again and looked over to see a figure in black, with some kind of a mask on. It seemed to flicker in place like it was both there and not there at the same time. Then it disappeared completely. Lydia was starting to freak out a bit.

"Scott," she said as she went to back up into the sea of dancing bodies. But she saw that the dark figures appeared again and they weren't disappearing. In fact, it looked like they were moving closer, for her. "Scott," she cried out louder and more frightful. But no one was coming to her, except for those shadowy figures.

Lydia then broke into a run and went off for the terrace. She took a deep breath as she closed the door behind her. She was alone there so she thought she would be okay there. But, she then started to hear what seemed like deep clicking or hissing. She slowly turned and saw something seeming to pull itself out of the shadows. There were a pair of hands emerging and pulling out until one those dark figures from before was fully emerged. Lydia turned and was prepared to scream as hard as she could but before she could let out any real sound, her mouth was covered by a second figure that came up behind her. It went over and reached for the side of her cheek and Lydia found herself stiff as a board. She couldn't move or utter a single sound through her opened mouth. She was stunned and felt her insides start to freeze up. She was still able to move her eyes and looked into the dark eye holes of the mask and saw a yellow greenish glow shining down at her.

Beyond the windows, no one could see what was going on as they were fully distracted by the DJ and the glow of all the luminescent paint.

* * *

Scott brought Kira off to the roof where it was quiet and they were alone. He took a good whiff of the cool fresh air as Kira eyed him.

She pointed at his cheek. "You have paint on you." Scott went to rub it but she shook her head. "Still there." Kira went to sit while Scott rubbed harder at his face as he went to sit next to her. Kira saw it was still there and decided to put Scott out of his misery. "Here, let me," she said before licking her thumb and using it to try and clean the paint off of Scott's cheek.

The gesture made Scott just break out in laughter. "I can't believe you just mom'd me."

Kira flinched back at that. "I did not mom you," she said defensibly but amusingly.

"You totally mom'd me," he said back.

Kira then dipped her head a bit and nodded. "Okay…I might have slightly mom'd you," she admitted which made them both smile and chuckle a bit. Kira smiled for a second before the cheer seemed to suddenly leave her. She frowned and looked back at him. "How are you so okay with this? I mean, I just showed you a picture that would've sent anybody else running."

Scott's smile dropped then too but his expression remained soft. "It didn't look that bad to me."

Kira's eyes narrowed. "It looked like a demon from hell."

Scott remembered when Kira had told him and his friends about Bardo and about peaceful and wrathful deities. He knew a thing or two about wrathful things but he didn't feel that kind of feeling from Kira. It was the opposite.

"I guess I saw something different," Scott shrugged.

"What did you see?"

"It kind of looked like it was protecting you. Like armor. And it doesn't look like a demon to me," he pressed on.

"What do you think it looks like?" she asked him.

Scott thought back to the image he saw earlier with his wolf eyes. "It, looked like a fox."

* * *

Isaac and Allison were swaying to the music as they kept their gazes locked on one another. Isaac felt himself feeling calmer than he had been feeling all day as he let himself feel Allison's warm palm stroke his chin and begin to rub at his cheek. Allison was moving her hand up higher until she was lightly gripping the spot between his ear and hair. Isaac decided to move in closer and take a chance as he leaned in for a small kiss but Allison pulled away from him. But Isaac didn't see hesitation or awkwardness on her face, but puzzlement. Her eyes were narrowed as if she was trying to get a better look at something.

"What, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"There's something…on your head. Behind your ear," she further explained.

Isaac pulled further away so that he could feel for something but he didn't feel anything. Allison then pulled him away so that they could find something for him to get a better look. They went off for one of the backrooms where Isaac knew that there was a mirror. He turned his head and folded his ear to try to see where Allison was pointing to and saw a bit of something was marked on his skin.

"What is that?" he gasped.

"It…kind of looks like a number 5."

Why would Isaac have a marking of the number 5 behind his ear? Before they could think more on that, Isaac stiffened.

"Did you hear that?" he asked her softly.

Allison calmed herself and listened out and was able to hear a faint, groaning sound. The two of them looked over to the far side of the room and saw that there was some spilled ice cubes. They moved over and spotted Ethan lying on the floor, fidgeting and staring out but not moving his eyes as if he was paralyzed. She ran over and lifted Ethan's head and saw that Ethan seemed to be completely unresponsive and his eyes were rolling. Allison's own eyes widened. She had seen this before…only last night with Isaac.

Isaac went over and felt that Ethan's skin was ice cold. This was just like how he was after those…things attacked. They must've attacked Ethan too, which would mean that the only way to get him out of this would be like how Allison's father got him out of it.

"What are you doing?" Allison asked when Isaac was pulling on Ethan's arm.

"It will trigger the healing," he explained. Isaac wouldn't deny it. He was going to kind of enjoy doing this. He quickly extended his claws and dug them as deep into Ethan's wrist as he could.

Ethan's eyes quickly turned blue and he partially shifted as he let a roar loose. He then then slumped down and his breathing started to settle back to normal.

Allison went over and turned Ethan's head to the side. Behind his ear, it was visible. A number 5 like marking. "It's the same. It's exactly the same."

* * *

When the song was over, Aiden looked over and saw that Lydia was no longer around. He guessed that she decided to leave. Aiden started to head off but the girls he was with tugged on his arm to get him to stay with them but he just yanked his arm away and started to walk off. He was starting to think that this party wasn't a good idea after all. He went to go find his brother to tell him that he was taking off. He felt another tug on his arm but saw that it was Danny.

"Ethan?" Danny asked.

But he shook his head. "Aiden," he corrected him.

"Where's Ethan?"

"I'm looking for him too."

Danny shook his head. "I haven't seen him for like half an hour."

Aiden now was getting a little worried. That wasn't like his brother at all. He was barely hearing Danny ask if anything was wrong when he went off and tried to find him with Danny following right behind him. Danny went to check the terrace nearby first and he nearly fell in surprise.

"Aiden! Over here!"

Aiden ran over and saw that it was Lydia. She was lying on the ground, her eyes wide open but she wasn't moving them.

"Lydia! Lydia, what happened?!" he asked as he quickly went down to her side. But she still wasn't moving. "What happened to her?" he quickly asked Danny.

He just shook his head. "I don't know. But, she's freezing. Practically hypothermic."

"We've got to get her inside. Help me," he said moving over to try and grab her.

Danny cleared the way for Aiden as he came up behind him with Lydia in his arms. "There's a heater over there," he pointed off to a corner. "I'll go and get a blanket."

Aiden set Lydia down by the heater but kept her firmly in his arms. He knew that he would be better than a blanket. He tightened his hold on her and pressed his face into her cold cheeks trying to let her siphon off of his extreme body heat. He heard Lydia's breathing start to steady and she was starting to move a bit.

"They came out of the dark," she lightly mumbled.

Aiden turned to try and look at her more clearly when he froze. He noticed something, behind her left ear. It was some kind of marking, and it looked like a backwards number 5.

* * *

Derek seemed to finally be able to move his body. He was lying face flat on the pavement and he pushed himself to sit on his knees. He felt a soft burning feeling behind his ear and he looked over at his van's view mirror to see that there was some kind of marking behind his ear. He grit his teeth and let a huge roar out.

Far above him, on the roof of the loft building, Scott eyes widened and he went to stand up. He could hear the roar vibrating in his ears. He knew who it belonged to.

"Derek?"

It sounded like he was back.

* * *

When Derek got a full hold of his senses again, his eyes narrowed. He could hear the sounds of music and a large amount of people above him. He stomped on up for his loft and he grit his teeth and what he found. His place was full of people, teenagers, who were using it as their own personal party spot, complete with a DJ. There were only a handful of people that knew he had been gone and he hadn't told any of them that he had come back to town but they were all suspects. He didn't know which one or ones had done this but he silently promised himself to deal with them later, right after he dealt with the current problem. For now, he felt that party time was over.

He stomped on for the DJ but was he was stopped by a bouncer who went and pushed at his chest. "Sorry buddy, but the Bloody Beatroots doesn't take requests" the guy said to him. Derek nodded but kept going for him anyway. The bouncer pushed at him again. "Bro, seriously," he spat at him. "I said the DJ doesn't-

But Derek huffed and reached for the guy's neck. "He'll take mine," he said before throwing the guy off to the side. Derek then reached for the table and flipped it with all the sound equipment off to crash into the floor. The music in the loft shut off and everyone stopped dancing and looked right at him. Derek looked towards them all before he exploded. "GET OUT!" A second later, everyone took off including the DJ.

Aiden's eyes widened at seeing Derek again and he went and moved Lydia over to Danny. "Get her out of here," he told him.

"Go find Scott," she groggily told him as Danny pulled her off to help her out of the loft.

As the people were leaving, none of them stopped to notice that five shadowy figures were standing still in the room. The only ones to lay eyes on them were Aiden, Derek, Scott and Kira who had come down from the roof, and Allison and Isaac who was carrying Ethan out. When all the partiers were gone, the five turned as one and faced in Aiden's direction.

"Guys…they're all looking at me," he said out nervously. "Why are they all looking at me?"

The figures then started to move, as one, for him. Both Scott and Derek then charged for the nearest one and tried to stop them. However, the figures ducked and moved to dodge each hit with great speed and grace. They were flipping about and jumping high in the air…like ninjas. Derek and Scott couldn't get a single swipe in on them. Derek then pushed off from the nearby wall where he managed to grab hold of one of them and quickly went to snap his neck. Derek turned to get to another one but the one he got didn't fall. In fact, the air around it got darker as it seemed to repair it's broken neck instantly. Derek turned to look at it just in time for it to grab him and throw him off into the wall. Derek's back hit the wall so hard that he couldn't bring himself to pick himself up. Scott tried to attack another one but it easily back away from each of Scott's claw swipes before it finally just slammed its palm into his chest and launched Scott off his feet and fly across the room. Scott hit the wall so hard that he thinks he had dislocated his arm.

With the two of them down, the five masked ninjas continued with approaching Aiden. Isaac let go of Ethan and went over and readied his claws. The one closest to him turned to him and then seemed to dig its hand into its chest and then pulled out a samurai sword. It then went to slice and dice at the air and hissed at him when it was done. At the impressive display, Isaac quickly went and backed away leaving it to return to facing down Aiden with its friends. Two of them grabbed Aiden by his arms and held him as a third stepped in front of him.

"Somebody do something," Allison said desperately.

But Scott, Derek, Isaac and Ethan could only watch along with her as the third figure went to grab at side of Aiden's head. It held him and stared straight into him with glowing yellow green eyes. Then it let go of Aiden and he fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. The five figures then turned around and now were looking at Scott. Scott quickly got to his feet and shifted as he faced them down. He turned around and noticed that Kira was behind him. Her eyes were wide as she had silently been watching the whole thing and she just eyed Scott tensely. He looked away from her to try and focus on the attackers. He growled at them but that didn't stop them as they were moving closer. But they did stop when the room got brighter. They looked over, and so did Scott, to the windows and saw that the sun was coming out. As the sunlight fully hit them, they vanished in puffs of black smoke.

"What the hell were those things?" Scott gasped out.

But no one seemed to have an answer for him.

Isaac just looked on over at Allison who was staring at the spot where they vanished. "Your dad's 24 hours are up," he softly told her.

Allison sighed. It seemed that she had no choice now. But, she tried to call her father first, to tell him that those things appeared again.

Over at the apartment, Chris heard the phone ringing but he couldn't reach it. He was hurt, bleeding, as he leaned and kept bumping against the walls before he just fell to the ground.

* * *

Stiles' head was feeling normal again and he started to open his eyes but when he did, they widened. First, because he wasn't on the floor but was standing firmly on his feet. Second, because he wasn't even standing on his floor. It was the floor of a classroom. The Chemistry classroom at the school. In his hand, he wasn't holding the liquor bottle, but his keys. Specifically, the mystery key. Suddenly, Stiles heard Lydia's voice distantly as she asked him how Barrow could've unlocked the door. He moved slowly for the closet and turned the knob to see it was locked. He inserted the key and turned it and the door opened. He then closed the door. Then, he heard his father's voice telling him that someone connected with the school and the police could've found out where Barrow was being held and rigged the accident. He then had flashes of memory of his police radio in his Jeep as well as the wire that Isaac had found stuck to his backpack. Stiles' breathing quickened as he turned and looked over at the board where the message was. He then heard Agent McCall's voice saying that someone left Barrow a coded message. He got in front of the numbers and then reached for the chalk. He then moved to write the numbers and saw that they were in his handwriting.

It was him. He had been the one who had hid Barrow and left him the message. He had rigged the pileup to help Barrow with his escape. It was him.

Stiles then widened his eyes as the next thing he knew, he was staring not at the board, but his ceiling. He was lying in his bed, in his bedroom, with the half empty bottle of vodka lying right next to him which spilled when he quickly sat up in terror.


	9. Silverfinger

Chapter 9: Silverfinger

Allison rushed back to her home with Scott and Isaac when she wasn't getting an answer from him. Considering what had just happened, Allison was fearing the worst. As soon as they opened the front door they found her father bleeding and barely conscious on the floor. The wolves helped him into his office while Allison ran to get the first-aid kit. She began to work on treating his injuries while Scott and Isaac sat in front of him, staring him down.

"You saw them, didn't you?" Chris asked them unnecessarily.

"More than saw them," Isaac cringed.

"What are they?" Allison asked him.

But Chris shook his head. "I don't know."

"But, you've seen them before, haven't you?" asked Scott.

Chris nodded. "The last time I saw them was back in Japan. It was years ago though. They had been on the hunt for someone. It all happened so fast but I remember it clearly. Especially the glow from its eyes when they faced him."

"It's eyes were glowing?" Scott asked him tensely. While he never saw the glow from these things himself, the others had.

"There was something almost ritualistic about them, like it was looking right into his soul."

"It's the same thing it did to me," Isaac mumbled.

"Same thing it did to everyone," added Allison.

But Scott blinked. "Not everyone. It only came after the werewolves."

"And Lydia," Allison reminded him.

"Anyone with a connection to the Supernatural," Chris explained.

"And who's the guy they went after in Japan?" Isaac asked him.

"A Kumicho. A Yukuza boss. It was my first gun deal. I was only 18. It was supposed to be a simple exchange except Gerard left out the minor detail about the buyers being Yukuza. He wanted to see if I could adapt in the moment. Testing my ability to improvise."

"Or your ability to survive," Allison huffed out a bit spitefully.

Chris narrowed his eyes. "The moment the sun went down…it was like they just materialized out of the shadows. They had swords, not curved like katanas but straight and of black steel like ninjatos."

"What did they want?" asked Isaac.

"To get to the Kumicho." Chris could remember vividly when the Yukuza tried to attack those things but they advanced on them as if their bullets were nothing but wood pellets. Cutting them down one by one with their swords. "They cut down every thing in their way."

Isaac reached to lightly run his fingers over the mark behind his ear. "Did they mark him like they did us?"

"Not exactly." He then remembered when they got to the Kumicho. The glow from his eyes and the fangs he sprouted. And what happened next. "They cut him down."

"What was he?" Scott asked.

Chris shook his head. "I don't know. But, there might be someone who does. There were a few others that survived that night. One of them was a man named Katashi. They call him Silverfinger because of an unusual prosthetic. It looked like he was getting ready to take them on himself-." He drifted off for a bit before his eyes sharpened. "I've known for a while that Katashi was in the country. I spent yesterday tracking him down."

Isaac pointed to his wounds. "Didn't look like he wanted to be found."

"Not particularly, no," he agreed.

Scott then stood up. "You think he knows what they are? Or what they want?"

"Maybe."

Allison's jaw stiffened. "What if he doesn't want to talk?"

"What if he doesn't even remember you?" Isaac said.

Chris stood up from his chair and brought out the box. "He'll remember this." He then opened it to reveal the broken pieces of the mask he kept from that night when he shot at one of those thing's heads and his bullet shattered it off. All three of their eyes widened as they saw that it was exactly the same as the ones those things had on last night. "I know I didn't kill it but I slowed it down long enough for us to get out of there."

Scott picked up a piece and felt the smooth material against his fingers. Scott felt as if he was touching ice and it was sending goosebumps all up his arm. "What was behind the mask?" he asked.

"Darkness. Absolute darkness."

* * *

Kira was getting ready to head off for school but her mind wasn't really in it. All she could think of was the moment right before Scott had left her at her house earlier. He had given her a ride from the loft on his bike but once they stopped, she didn't leave. Scott didn't make any move for her to leave either.

Kira didn't know how else to start so she just jumped into it. "So…all of your friends are-?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Kira nodded. "And, you're a-"

"Yeah," he said to her.

Kira then got off but she moved to stand in front of him. "Can I see?" she asked softly.

Scott's face widened a bit. "Are you sure?"

Kira nodded. She did want to see, up close and personal. Scott looked around to see if they were really alone and he moved to cover his face with the visor for a second before he went and pulled his helmet off. He showed her his transformed face and his red eyes. He seemed to try to avoid looking directly at her but she moved to lightly caress his face and his expression loosened up and did catch her right in the eye.

Kira let a small smile find its way onto her face at the memory.

* * *

Scott was racing for the school on his bike before he was then joined by two other bikes. It was Ethan and Aiden and they kept completely at his side for the entire time up to him stopping at the school parking lot.

Scott pulled his helmet off and gave them a look. "You guys going to be doing this all day?"

"All day?" Aiden smiled at him.

"All night," Ethan added.

Scott let out a heated breath. "Is this about being in my pack?" He thought he made his stance about that clear.

"This is about you being the target of demonic ninjas," Ethan stressed out to him.

"You mean the demonic ninjas that pulled swords out of their chests and completely kicked their asses?" Aiden asked him sarcastically.

"Yeah," Ethan smiled. "Those demonic ninjas."

"I don't need anyone to protect me," Scott told them sternly.

But Aiden shook his head. "They were looking right at you when the sun came up."

"And they also disappeared. Argent thinks they just come out at night." That meant that they were safe from attack until tonight.

But the twins were persistent.

"Since this is our first experience with demonic ninjas we're thinking we should play it safe," Aiden told him.

His brother nodded. "All day."

Scott sighed. "And all night." Just what he didn't want. To have his own personal stalkers at either side of him. He then surrendered and humored them by letting them stick around. "One thing first," as soon as he opened his locker to gather his things. "I have to talk to Stiles and let him know everything that happened last night, without you," he quickly added.

"No," Ethan shook his head.

"Yes," Scott bit back. "And I don't want you listening in. No wolf hearing."

"How would you even know?" Ethan asked.

Scott shrugged. "I'm a True Alpha. You have no idea what I can do." He then slammed his locker shut and went to go off and meet with Stiles as he had texted him earlier saying that they had to meet in front of the Chemistry classroom to talk.

Ethan blew up at his hair in frustration but he heeded what Scott said. Aiden, however, let his hearing roam. While they may want to be in his pack, they weren't right now. That meant that he wasn't their Alpha just yet so, technically, they didn't have to listen to him.

Scott walked over for the classroom and found Stiles pacing in front of the room. He looked completely agitated and hyped up. Scott could also hear that his heart was beating a mile a minute and mumbling to himself just as fast. Scott's nostrils flared as he detected a smell coming from Stiles. It smelled like…liquor.

"Stiles, are you okay?" he called out as he walked up to him.

Stiles shook his head. "No. I'm not okay. I'm no where near the realm of okay." He then opened the door and walked into the classroom with Scott following behind him. "Alright, last night after I left you at the station, I went home and I," Stiles froze for a minute as he decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to tell him about the vodka so he quickly improvised. "Tried to rest, and I suddenly found myself, here."

"You mean you left and then drove here?"

"No, I mean I was at home, and then suddenly I was here. In this classroom. And you won't believe what I-" Stiles froze as he looked over at the blackboard to find that it was clean. The message had been erased. "It's gone." But Stiles then shook his head as he headed for the back. "You know what, that doesn't matter. I still have the key." He then dug into his pocket for his key ring but found that the key for the chemistry closet was now gone. "What the hell? I had it here. I swear to god, I had here just this morning."

"Wait, you stayed in school all last night?"

Stiles shook his head. "No, first I was home, then I was here and then…I was home again."

"You walked all the way back home?"

"No I…just suddenly was back in my bed." Scott's back straightened up. "No, Scott, it wasn't a dream. I wasn't dreaming. I mean, I told you about it, remember?"

Scott shook his head. "No, you never told me about any key Stiles."

Stiles could see that Scott wasn't believing him. "Okay, I know how this sounds but I'm telling you that I was here earlier. I had the key to the supply closet and on the board was the message to Barrow. It was written in my handwriting," he said walking back up to the blank blackboard.

"Okay…so you, unlocked the chemistry closet so Barrow could hide in it from the cops and then left him the message telling him to kill Kira?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, look, I know how this sounds. But…do you remember the other day? When Isaac found that loose wire stuck to my bag?"

Scott shook his head. "Not really, no."

"Well, I think that was a piece left over from that timing device that was rigged at that traffic intersection that made the lights to go crazy and caused the pile up." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a printout of a news article. "Look at this news report that came out about Barrow. About the shrapnel bomb that he used, do you see what he did?" he asked pointing to the right spot on the article. "He put nuts, bolts and screws in a box, and he hid the bomb and the detonator in a box that he wrapped up like a birthday present. Now, what does that sound like to you?"

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Coach. The joke we played on Coach."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, and that was my idea. Remember? That was my idea. That can't be a coincidence, it can't be," he said as his heart began racing.

Scott stared at Stiles and could only just shake his head. What Stiles was suggesting to him was…crazy. "Stiles…I don't want to tell you that you're wrong but, I don't think that you're trying to kill people either." Yeah, Stiles could be a little rough around the edges and he'd done some brutal things to people but that had been only to the hunters that had tried to kill them and he had been a werewolf. He couldn't hurt anyone, especially now, when he was back to normal. _'Stiles had to have been dreaming or hallucinating,_ ' he thought in a corner of his mind. _'He just said that he had been at the school and then was in his bed so it had to be a dream…and maybe something else. After all, I could still smell it, a lot of it, all around him. He was drinking last night and with everything that's been happening lately, maybe it was playing tricks on him? He could be affected by alcohol now after all. If I could finally get drunk I'm sure that, with everything that's happened around us, I'd see and think some things too_.'

Stiles went and crumpled the paper in his hand, in anger but especially fear. "It was here," he whispered. "It was all here."

"Dude," Scott whispered. "Are you okay? Really? I mean…you're looking really tired and you weren't looking too good. Did anything happen to you last night?" He wondered if Stiles would tell him about drinking.

Stiles just stared at the board before he sighed. "No. I've just not been sleeping really well. That's just it."

Scott nodded. "Maybe you should go home and get some sleep? Why don't you go home? Take a sick day or something," he suggested.

Stiles' jaw tightened. That's what his father had said. "Yeah…alright. Uh, wait what happened with you and Kira after I left?"

"Uh…you know what, we can talk about it later," Scott mumbled. "Don't worry about it."

Stiles nodded before he then went off and left the room leaving Scott looking at the clean board. Stiles had to have been imagining things. There was no way he was capable of any of what he had just said. He would never do anything to hurt innocent people or ever help a psycho like Barrow. He shook his head and then left the room himself. He was heading off for his first class when he was intercepted by the Twins.

"Did you tell Stiles?" Ethan asked him.

"Nah, he's got enough on his mind right now," Scott explained.

Aiden just kept silent as he walked by Scott but Ethan wasn't. "If they're coming for you in a couple of hours then so do you."

Scott stopped and looked over at them. "What if it's not me? What if I'm not the one that they want?"

"Who else is there?" asked Aiden.

Scott shook his head and turned around when he spotted Kira walking down the steps. He then remembered that those things from last night had looked at him, but what if it wasn't him they were looking at? He remembered that Kira had been standing behind him in the loft when they attacked. What if they were after her?

Stiles had informed the office that he was leaving school for a sick day and was heading off when he caught sight of Scott just around the corner. He stopped and noticed that he was with the twins. It looked like they were talking about something very serious as all three of them had matching, glum looks on their faces.

' _I guess Ethan and Aiden are getting what they wanted after all,'_ he thought before he sighed and kept going for the nearest exit. _'Scott probably thinks that he needs someone to pick up the slack. Maybe Isaac was right. What could I do now? I don't have any of my powers so I can't help fight or protect anyone anymore. I'm useless to everyone now. He's going to Isaac more, to Allison, Lydia and now the Twins. I'm…just in the way. And now, Scott thinks that I'm going crazy, I can tell. He doesn't believe what I'm saying. He thinks I'm just hallucinating into thinking that I'm secretly going around and trying to get people killed. And honestly, maybe he's right._ '

He then got to his Jeep, turned on the engine and just pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

Allison and Isaac hadn't gone to school that day. They were with Allison's father as they were going to track down and find Katashi so he could tell them more about those five creatures that attacked them. The good news was that Chris had an idea of where to find Katashi. The problem of course was that Katashi was a Yukuza boss so talking with him was easier said than done.

"The real problem is Katashi doesn't see visitors. Ever. He's a paranoid recluse who rarely steps outside the steps of his estate," Chris explained to the two of them.

"So how are we going to get to him?" Isaac asked.

"Well, he has a thing for rare antique weapons. Yesterday, I had some contacts put out the word that I was selling one from my own collection." Chris then went to pull out a glass case that had an antique gun inside it. "This is a French flintlock turnover pistol from 1645."

Allison shook her head. She already knew her father's plan. "You're not going alone." The last time that he had tried to do this alone, he had been beaten nearly half to death. She was going with him this time.

Isaac nodded. "She's going then I'm going."

"To be honest I don't feel good about bringing either one of you," Chris said sternly to both of them.

"They were looking right at Scott when the sun came up," Isaac tried to explain.

"But that doesn't mean that he's necessarily the one that they are going after," Chris tried to point out.

"But if he is-" Allison turned to eye her father.

He then sighed and straightened himself up. "If he is…that will only leave us until nightfall to come up with a way to protect him."

Isaac straightened himself up too and putting his hands on his hips. "Alright then, let's go see if a paranoid Yakuza wants to put another gun in his collection," he said staring at the gun. Chris and Allison stared at how he was trying to carry himself with bravado. Isaac lifted his eyes and noticed them staring. "What?"

The two Argents just sighed and left to get ready and arm up.

* * *

Agent McCall came into the Sheriff's station while he was on the phone with his superiors.

"Yeah, I'm walking in now and I'm trying to avoid the hostile stares of everyone in here." It seemed that Sheriff Stilinski had gotten more private support from the deputies in the wake of how he was able to help both Malia Tate and how their sons helped to capture Barrow. With his lingering attempts to try and get a case of impeachment against him, he was becoming quite the pariah around there. "No, nah," he said as he got into his office. "It might be another week or two and then we'll be ready for a formal review. There's enough here to put Stilinski out of government work that he won't be able to get a job riding the back of a garbage truck. Exactly-" he said as he moved to open his laptop. On the screen popped a warning that his security alert was tripped. "I'll call you back."

He hung up and then pulled up the image capture that his computer managed to snap. It was a photo of both his son with Kira Yukimura. They had accessed his computer and from the time stamp, it had been last night during the blackout. He then moved over towards the evidence collected and found that the bags had been disturbed from how he remember they were left. His jaw stiffened and he let out a heated breath.

* * *

Chris Argent loaded some cases in the back of his van while Allison and Isaac threw themselves inside. Chris then threw himself into the car and then went to speed off for the Yukuza's location. They were unaware that there was someone watching them as they drove off. After they were gone, the figure then moved for the building and scaled it for the apartment's window. As he moved to open it, there was a buzzing sound as the electricity from the trap activated but it did nothing to stop the intruder as his feet dropped onto Allison's carpet with a thud. The intruder walked through the apartment until they got to the office and went for the closet. The person took some gloves from the wall and put them on before they moved through to the wall and then knocked to loosen the false back to it and unveiled a cache of hand rifles and shotguns. He then removed some and then set them to a table. He then went into Chris Argent's closet and took a hooded sweater and overcoat.

* * *

As soon as school was over, Scott raced off for the parking lot to head for his bike. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his two new shadows moved to try and intercept him. But he had a plan for that. He had just finished putting on his gloves when Ethan and Aiden showed up as predicted.

"Guys, I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but I have to be alone for a bit," he told them as he pulled back and then broke into a wide smile. "So, sorry about this."

He spared a moment to watch as the Twins tried to start their bikes but there weren't revving up. Scott then sped off and stopped to pick up Kira who was waiting for him at the end of the parking lot.

After she got on, she opened her palm to reveal the sparkplugs from the bikes. "What do I do with these?" she asked him mischievously.

He was glad that he was able to recycle the trick that Allison and Isaac had done with hotwiring Aiden's bike weeks ago. She threw them off as they sped out of the school parking lot together. Scott rode them on his bike up to the front of his house where he quickly led her inside through the front door.

"Could you lock the door?" he asked her as he darted inside.

"Yeah," she said closing and locking it as Scott moved to the windows and looking outside of them. He then locked them. "We're running out of time," she told him.

"I know, but Allison, her dad and Isaac are working on something that could help." He then moved to the windows in the next room and locked them too.

"Uh, I don't want to sound pessimistic or anything but do you really think that's going to keep them out?"

"Actually, we have a kind of security system. Things happened a couple of weeks ago, a lot of things," Scott said flinching a bit at the memories. "And we had my boss help…make a few changes to my house and to Stiles' house too."

"Your boss? Does he work for a security company or something?"

"No, he's a veterinarian."

Kira's eyes widened. "You had a vet put in your alarm?"

"Sort of, but I can't arm it. Only my mom can."

"And where's she?" she asked in a small voice.

"Don't worry, she'll be here." Scott moved to check upstairs. He made it into his room and shut his open window and locked it. He took a look and saw that it wasn't going to be too long before the sun went down. He turned around and nearly ran right into Kira. "Oh, sorry," he quickly apologized. He then saw that he had his hands firmly on her shoulders and quickly removed them. He also saw that she didn't seem to be feeling any better than when they first got into the house. "We're going to be okay," he tried to tell her. "I promise."

"We…or me?"

Scott looked her right in the eye. "All of us," he said sternly.

But Kira shook her head. "You didn't bring the Twins here, because you didn't want them to get hurt, right?"

Scott could see that she was doubting why he brought them here. "I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Then why did you bring me? If those things are coming after you, and those things hurt anyone that's in the way, then shouldn't I be somewhere else?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not letting you get hurt."

"And I don't you getting hurt, especially because of me," she said back to him.

"It could be either of us."

"I don't think so," she said shaking her head. "I have to show you something." She then went to her bag and pulled something out to show him. It was book on Chinese Mythology. "Have you ever heard of something called a kitsune?"

* * *

Sheriff Stilinski took a break and headed on home so he could check in on his son. The school had called him to tell him that Stiles had put in for a sick day and he had told them that it was okay. He knew that Stiles didn't seem to be feeling well lately. Privately, he was a little worried. His son told him once that werewolves didn't get sick and he after he had changed, he hadn't needed to needed to rely on his Adderall because his ADHD had been stopped. Ever since that night when his son seemed to have changed back from being a werewolf he could tell that something about his son was different. While Stiles may have been trying to hide it, he could tell that Stiles was not doing so well. First, it was the nightmares. Then it was the spacing hallucinations that he caught him having when he thought no one was noticing. Now, he seemed to be having headaches and looked like he wasn't resting very well. Before, his son wasn't what he called sturdy but he was as strong as any teenager but it looked like he was now bordering on being fragile.

He pulled into the driveway and noticed that Stiles' jeep wasn't there. He reached into the car and grabbed the grocery bag full of soup and some aspirin that he picked up for him. "Stiles!" he called out as he opened the front door. He moved for the kitchen and saw that it didn't look like anything had been moved from when they left that morning. He then went on to head upstairs. "Stiles," he called out as he moved into his son's room. It was empty and a mess. Even his bed remained unmade.

He took a small look around at everything with a glum look on his face. He was about to head out when he went still as his eyes roamed his son's bed. He saw something sparkle as the sun shined on it. He went over and saw that it was a reflection from a bottle. A vodka bottle and it was empty.

He heard a beep on his phone and took it out to see that his son just sent him a text. It read that he was out for a walk in the woods. Then a second message popped up saying that he would pick up some dinner for tonight. The Sheriff then let out a saddened sigh. It was clear that Stiles had more going on him than he feared.

* * *

Chris Argent stopped the van close to the warehouse that Katashi had made into his makeshift base when he got a message on his phone. He gave it a look and sighed heavily.

"What is it?" Allison asked him.

"Katashi won't do the buy in person," he answered.

"Well, he's a paranoid recluse. Shouldn't you be a little less surprised?" Isaac dully said.

Chris rolled his eyes at the kid's cynicism. "I was trying to remain optimistic that we wouldn't have to go to my Plan B."

Isaac's eyes widened. "Plan B? And what's Plan B?"

"How tall are you?' Chris asked him just before he opened the back door of the van.

As Isaac looked behind him, he had a feeling that he, really, was going to like what was about to happen. He laid open one of his bags for Isaac to change into a disguise. Chris also told him that since Katashi was very security conscious, he couldn't have any communication devices or weapons with him. Isaac went to dump his things into the side of the car, including his phone. He checked to see if there were any messages from Scott before he then tossed it aside, though he didn't notice that there was an alert showing that his GPS was on. He began to change while he took Allison to the front of the car and opened up a blueprint of the warehouse and began to brief in his daughter.

"Katashi's office is here," he said pointing to the room on the map.

But Isaac then cut in before he could continue. "Guys," he said making them pull away to look at Isaac who had dressed crudely in the suit that Chris had gotten for him. "This isn't going to work. I look ridiculous." Isaac then walked over to them switching between looking at them and himself. "I mean…I'm, I look like I just stepped out of the last period of a Catholic Prep School." He then brought out the information on the pistol. "And there is no way that I'm going to remember all of this. I mean, what does this even mean? Revolving over and under barrels?"

The two Argents spared each other a small look. Isaac's babbling wasn't a promising sign.

"All you have to do is keep them talking long enough for us to get inside and find Katashi," Chris told him. "He might not be there for the buy in person but he won't be far."

Allison decided to be a little more gentle with him. "You look great," she said trying to sound encouraging.

Isaac wasn't feeling the least bit uplifted by what they just said. "I'm sweating through my jacket. I didn't even know I could sweat this much." Isaac was still babbling. He sighed as he stared nervously at his hands. _'I'm not cut out for any of this,_ ' he darkly thought. _'Who am I kidding? I go and act like a big shot in front of the Twins but I only do that when Scott is around. If I'm ever alone with them, I move out of the way because I know they could still kick my ass even without them being able to do their little fusion trick. I think I can actually be higher than Stiles in the pack but even without his powers and him losing some of his mind, he still managed to help Scott save Malia while I went and got stuck to a trap. I didn't even try to help Scott when those things attacked last night. I can't do this.'_

Allison saw that Isaac was a second away from falling apart at the seams. "Give me a second," she asked her father before she went to pull Isaac aside. "You can do this," she tried to reassure him again. But Isaac just rolled his eyes, still in doubt. "You're not a boy if you want in there, acting like a man." She then went and helped to tuck in his shirt and tried to tidy him up. "Okay, go in there with confidence and all they'll see is a boyish looking man."

Isaac just stared off bitterly. "Or a stupid teenager pretending to be a man. I'm going to get my head blown off by a bunch of Japanese fingerless-"

But he didn't finish as Allison just grabbed his face and kissed him. She knew that he would keep babbling and this seemed like the best and fastest way to help him out of that. Isaac was stunned for a moment. This was their first kiss. Though he had always imagined and fantasized how it would be, it was still shocking that they actually were doing it, right here, right now. Isaac started to move his hands for her hips as he started to pour more of his focus into returning her kiss. Allison quickly grabbed his hand and while Isaac thought she might hold it away, she brought it closer and lower, much lower. They both pulled away and Isaac stared a little gobsmacked at her while Allison smiled at him.

"How do you feel now?" she asked a little mischievously to him.

Isaac soon found himself moving for the entrance to the warehouse, with the antique in his hand and wearing shades. His usual smirk was on his face as he was received by a few men in a large and empty cargo area.

"Gentlemen," he said as he went to remove his shades. "I believe Mr. Katashi is expecting me."

"I'm expecting you," said a man walking over from the other side of the room. He began walking over to him with his own bag but at the angle he was walking from, Isaac couldn't see the sharp claws that were showing on his right hand.

* * *

On a screen showed a map with an icon. Eyes were looking down it for a moment before their owner pushed on the gas and drove off faster to get to where it had finally stopped. A smirk was reflecting on the glass front window as the person looked toward the sun that was starting to set.


	10. Silverfinger part 2

Chapter 10: Silverfinger part 2

Kira was sitting on Scott's bed as she flipped through the book until she got to the section on Kitsunes. Scott sat down next to her as he looked over an illustration of a multi-tailed fox. Around the fox were streams of lightning that seemed to be coming from it.

"That looks like what happened to you at the power station," he said to her as he looked at the picture.

She nodded. "When a kitsune rubs its tails together it can create fire or lightning. It's called foxfire." Scott gave the picture another look, specifically towards the tails. "I don't have any tails," Kira told him.

Scott scoffed. "What? How'd you know what I was thinking?"

"Because, kitsune are also psychic. I can hear all your thoughts." Scott's face fell at that one while Kira smiled at him. "Just kidding." That made the two of them share a small laugh. But Kira's smile faded when she saw that it was a little darker than it was before. "The sun's setting."

It was almost time.

"Yeah, I know," he huffed out before he looked at Kira. "Are you scared?" he whispered to her.

She eyed him and shook her head. "Not right now."

Scott felt his heart start beating faster and it had little to do with the fact that supernatural ninjas would be coming after them. Scott found himself leaning in closer to Kira and it looked like she was coming closer to him too.

But Kira pulled back and stared down at her hands. "I'm supposed to be back before dinner," she told him.

Scott knew that Kira couldn't leave. Not with those things after them. Her parents could end up getting hurt. "Tell them you can't make it," he suggested.

"What should I say?"

"Uh, say…you're going on a date," he said with a bit of a mischievous smile to himself.

One that Kira returned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You know, foxes and wolves don't really get along." She looked back at her book and flipped the page to show a picture of a multi-tailed fox being surrounded by growling and fang bearing wolves and ready to fight them.

But Scott went and shut the book closed. "That's just a drawing in a children's book," he muttered to her. He was even closer to her than before and this time, Kira wasn't pulling away. They were close to kissing when they heard the sound of a car pulling in and that made them pull away from each other again. "My mom's back," he said, feeling a little annoyed at her timing. They moved off and headed downstairs but Scott froze. It wasn't his mother that had come home, it was his father. "What are you doing here? And why do you still have a key?" Scott said shortly to him.

But his dad just shrugged. "Funny that you mention keys, because while I have a key to this house I'm not exactly sure how you got a key to my office." He then flipped open his laptop and revealed a picture of Scott with Kira in the evidence office.

Scott sighed at the sight of it. There had been a security camera in his dad's laptop that they must've triggered when they used it to charge Kira's phone. And, his father couldn't have picked a worse time to come here with all of this.

* * *

Allison watched as Isaac was received by Katashi's men so they moved onto to stage 2 of their plan. They moved in on one of the side entrances and quietly engaged the guards there. Chris grabbed an armed guard from behind and choked him until he passed out while Allison struck and knocked out another one. They then moved through the warehouse towards where Katashi had set up his office.

Isaac brought out the weapon case and revealed the pistol to Katashi's buyer. "What we're looking at here is a mint-condition French Flintlock Turnover Pistol. Crafted in the Mid-17th Century. It was a gift from Louis XIV to a prominent French family," he said just like he had practiced. "It's only ever been fired once."

"During a duel between brothers. On the grounds of the Palace of Versailles," Katashi's man supplied.

Isaac blinked a bit. "So, you're familiar with it," he slightly stuttered.

"Oh, Mr. Katashi knows what he wants. We'll take it," the buyer said to him. Katashi's man was already bringing out the suitcase he was holding and opened to reveal the cash. "150,000."

This wasn't the plan. He was supposed to say more about the gun to distract the men but if they already knew about it then he wouldn't be able to hold their attention to buy Allison and her father the time they needed to get to Katashi. Isaac had to buy them more time.

"I'm gonna need to count it," he told him resisting the urge to flinch.

The man raised his eyes at that. "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Isaac mumbled as he went over to the bag and brought out the counting machine that Chris gave him.

Isaac then reached into the case and slowly looked over the first stack of money before he unwrapped it and sent it through the machine. Isaac tried to take his time to neatly stack every denomination of cash after he ran it through the counter to try and stall. When he got to the third stack however, Katashi's buyer slammed the case shut almost as soon as Isaac put the cash into it.

"You don't know the whole story behind this gun, do you?" The guy smirked at Isaac before he started walking around the table to get close to him. "There was no duel between brothers. That was just the cover story. The real one involves an encounter in the woods with a vicious animal." While Isaac's eyes were trying to avoid this guy, he had his claws out and ready with Isaac not seeing them. "It's bite caused one of the men to change into something…monstrous. By his family's code, the brother of this man killed him with this very gun."

Isaac swallowed a bit as the guy was now right next to him. "Well, that is…certainly better than the version I heard," he lied. He could feel that this guy and the others were starting to lose patience with him and thought it was best to get the hell out of there now. "Listen, I'm gonna trust you guys with the money here and,"

But Isaac was grabbed before he could do or say anything else.

"Personally, I'd like to hear your story."

Isaac felt claws digging into his arm and quickly tried to shift but he looked straight into the eyes of this man that quickly turned blue. Isaac tried to growl at him but the guy wasn't deterred in the slightest. He just grabbed Isaac by the throat with his free hand while the other men brought out their guns and aimed them right for Isaac.

All of that was being watched by Katashi in his office before he quickly moved to check on his other security feeds. He saw that they were being taken off line, one by one. Along with his men, by a man and a young woman. He then brought out a handgun and pointed it right for the open door to his office when sure enough, Chris Argent stepped inside after throwing the knocked out guard from outside into the room.

"All I want to do is talk," he said as he brought out his own gun.

Katashi kept his gun aimed firmly on him. "Taking out my security is not what I would call a good conversation starter."

Chris kept stepping forward. "You don't remember me, do you? Allison, take the man's gun." Katashi had little time to react before Allison had moved in with a hooked cord and threw it to wrap around Katashi's gun and yank it out of his grip. "Now," Chris said drawing Katashi's glaring face back at him. "Can we talk?"

But they all heard movement as people started to crowd the door Chris came from.

"Guys." Everyone looked over to see that Isaac was being held at…clawpoint. "They have a werewolf too."

* * *

Scott and his father just stared at each other with Kira off to the side feeling awkward with how the two of them were looking at each other.

When he saw that his son wasn't going to say anything, he decided to. "Okay, let me help you out here. This kind of thing usually begins along the lines of: It's not what you think, or I could explain."

But Scott wasn't looking at him. He looked out the window where he could see that the sun was beginning to fully set. Those things would be here soon and he couldn't have his father here when they were. "Dad, let me help you out. You need to leave," he tried to tell him.

"I will, with a satisfactory explanation," he spat at him.

"Go get a warrant," Scott said to him trying to make him leave.

But his father wasn't going anywhere. "I don't need a warrant, I'm your father!"

At that, Scott went and glared at him as he felt some anger rise in him. "No, you're a gene donor. I got my hair color from you. And that's all I got. So you're not allow to play tough dad with me."

Just then, his mother finally got home. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked them.

With both his son and his ex-wife home, Agent McCall saw an opportunity. He had had enough with whatever secret that they were in on with the Sheriff and his kid. He wanted to finally know what it was and what had been happening around this town over the last few months. "Why don't one of you finally tell me? Melissa? Scott? Anything either of you want to finally tell me?!" he hissed out.

But Kira grabbed at Scott's shoulder as she looked out the window. "Scott."

The sun had finally set.

Agent McCall gave it a look and didn't see what the big deal was but his eyes widened when he noticed that there seemed to be someone in the house. In the next room. "Who the hell is this?"

All of them turned and looked over at the intruder and their eyes widened at the sight of it. But Agent McCall moved towards it.

"Dad, no!" Scott said trying to stop him. But he didn't stop. He kept going towards the dark figure. "Dad, wait," he tried again.

But when his dad got to it, he was immediately stabbed though his stomach with a sword. Kira screamed and Scott cried out for his father as he fell to the ground. Scott moved to stand in front of his father while his mother moved to pull his father away. She pulled him over to a corner while Kira stayed off in a corner of the next room. The creature readied his sword to fight against Scott when the back door opened up. Everyone looked over just in time to see a shifted Derek jump in and he roared at the dark figure who readied his sword and charged for him. Scott shifted and ran for him too and soon both Derek and Scott were trying to force this thing out of the room.

"Mom, the ash!" Scott cried out to his mother.

Melissa moved to grab a container that was in the cabinet nearby. Kira watched as Scott and Derek kept dodging the sword being swung at them. She was paying so much attention to it that she didn't notice that there was a dark fog forming behind her. But she felt a sudden chill and turned around to find that another of those things had come in behind her. But before it could move in on her, the window nearby shattered as Aiden and Ethan charged on inside and growled at the second ninja. It brought out its sword and went to attack them. The twins fought one while Scott and Derek fought the other. Sounds of sword and claw swipes whistled through the air as both sides tried to avoid each attack from their opponents. Finally, the twins grabbed their ninja and threw him out the door while Derek managed to grab hold of the other one and threw it out the window.

"Mom, now! Do it now!" Scott yelled as soon as they were out.

At that, Melissa ran over to the door and threw the glass container she took out and it shattered at the doorway creating a line of mountain ash. The creature stood just outside of the line but wasn't moving. Everyone stared at it as it did nothing but stare back. Kira moved up to it and slowly reached out by extending her hand but quickly retracted it when she hit what seemed to be an invisible energy barrier. Aiden narrowed his eyes at her after that.

* * *

Chris Argent brought out the box with the broken mask in it. Katashi reached in and took a piece with a haunted look coming over him.

"Starting to remember?" Chris asked him. "It was 24 years ago."

Katashi looked over to his werewolf bodyguard who was still holding Isaac hostage and nodded. "Release him Kincaid," he ordered.

Isaac was then let go. He started to then rub at his neck. "Thanks," he mumbled before he cleared his throat.

"You know what they are, don't you?" Chris asked.

"They're called Oni," said Katashi as he put the pieces of the mask together. "They are demons and they are unstoppable."

Allison and Isaac shared a small look while Chris' jaw tightened.

Meanwhile, while they were talking, two of the guards outside and a bit away from the building heard something. They looked and saw what seemed to be an overcoat with a hood on was approaching.

"Stop right there," one of them said.

But the man didn't stop. In practically a blink of an eye he brought out a Beretta with a silencer and let out two shots before either of the men could move an inch. They fell to the ground dead while the intruder kept walking.

* * *

Derek looked at the floorboards lining the perimeter. "All the baseboards are ashwood?" he asked Scott.

He nodded. "Uh yeah. It was Deaton's idea. And where the hell did you come from?"

"I've been following you."

"For how long?"

"All day. I tried finding Stiles at the school but couldn't pick up his scent so was hoping you would meet up with him eventually."

Scott shook his head. "He wasn't in school today and he's not here. He stayed home sick today."

But Derek shook his head. "No, he's not there. I already checked."

"Why, is something up?"

But before Derek could answer him, he heard his mother's voice screaming for him. "Scott, this isn't good!"

Melissa's hands were shaking as she tried to put pressure on her ex's wound.

"Need, to call for backup," he muttered before he seemed to pass out.

Scott ran in to see that his father was starting to sweat heavily and heard as his heart was starting to beat a little slower. "How bad is it?" he asked.

"From the way that his arm is rotated, the tendon looks torn. He could be on his way to a collapse lung."

But Scott shook his head. "Mom, those things, they're not going to leave until the sun's up."

Melissa turned to look at him. "At the rate he's bleeding, he's not gonna have that long. We've gotta get him to the hospital."

"Should we call Stiles' dad?" he asked in a small panic.

"I don't know. Isn't that just going to get more people hurt?"

"Maybe." Scott sighed. She was right. From Argent's story and from what happened at the loft and just now with his father, those things will attack anyone that they see trying to get in their way. "I don't think guns work on them."

"Then what does?" she asked him loudly.

Scott just stayed silent.

In the kitchen, the creatures were gathered together and staring right at the Twins and Kira who were looking back at them.

Aiden turned away and looked at the girl. "It's Kira, right?" he asked her. She nodded. "You going to tell us what you are?"

"What? What do you mean?" She started to back away from him a bit but Aiden reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Aiden," Ethan said as soon as he did.

"Watch!" he said to his brother before he began to move Kira towards the doorway. Aiden moved Kira towards the open door, where those things were still staring at them. He brought her hand forward where it hit the barrier and made her pull her hand back as soon as she hit it. "See that?" Ethan's eyes widened as he looked from her to the barrier. "She can't go through it either, so what are you?" he asked her again.

"She's a kitsune, idiot." Derek started to walk into the kitchen and eyed the three of them. "Use your eyes. You can see it all around her. The younger ones give off an aura. She just hasn't learned how to conceal it yet. Probably doesn't even know what kind she is either."

Kira just eyed Derek as her mind went through everything she had read in her book about kitsunes. She read about how many different kinds there were. She was hoping not to be a certain kind though.

* * *

At that moment, Allison had asked Katashi if there was anything they could use against the Oni. She and her father and Isaac didn't like his answer.

"Nothing," he told them. "At least no man-made weapon. The Oni are a force of nature. You don't fight a tsunami, you endure it. And hope that you're not destroyed in its path."

"Then how do we endure it?" Allison asked him.

"One of you already has." Katashi went over to Isaac and pointed off to the mark that had been left behind his ear. "This is Japanese kanji for 'Self'. That means that he still is himself. The Oni are looking for one who is no longer themselves."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, no longer themselves?"

"Possessed by a dark spirit."

"What dark spirit?" Isaac asked him.

Katashi eyed him. "A Kitsune, a fox spirit. There are 13 kinds of kitsune. Celestial, wild, ocean, thunder, but there is one…a dark kitsune. They call it Void or Nogitsune."

"The Kumicho," Chris said as he finally made sense of what he had seen all those years ago in Japan.

Katashi nodded. "That's right. He was possessed by a nogitsune. It's what helped him rise through the ranks of our Yakuza family. Nogitsune draws its power from pain and tragedy, strife and chaos."

Isaac then had a flash of all the fighting that seemed to sprout all through the school during the blackout all in one day. "You mean like fighting? It gets off on that kind of stuff?"

"Conflict and Calamity feed its power," Katashi explained to him. "Gives it strength but its appetite for more power is never sated."

Chris understood. "A nogitsune doesn't just find pain and chaos...it creates more." He could finally start to make sense of the recent events in Beacon Hills. Recently, the town has had a lot of pain, strife and death surrounding it. The center of which most of it was from them. Barrow, the pile-up and the blackout must've all been orchestrated by the Nogitsune to add to mounting chaos within Beacon Hills in order to make itself stronger. That meant that they had to find and stop it as soon as possible before it could get too strong for any of them to stop.

Down below them, the hooded intruder was engaging one of Katashi's guards. The guy tried to throw him some punches before he then brought out a thick hunting knife from inside his suit. The guard tried to spear it into the intruder's heart but he quickly caught him by the wrist, pulled and then squeezed it to make his grip on it go. The intruder caught it with his free hand and then jammed it into his heart before throwing the guard's body to the side and silently moving for a nearby desk. On it was a server that had a screen next to it with some security feeds from cameras visible.

* * *

Kira explained the kitsune types to Scott and told him that she might be the dark kitsune or Nogitsune.

Scott quickly shook his head. "It's not you. It can't be. What I saw around you, it didn't look evil."

"But, isn't that what a shape-shifter does? Isn't that why a kitsune is called the trickster spirit?" she argued. "It's supposed to trick you. How are you so sure? How do you know I'm not the bad guy?"

Kira wanted to know why Scott trusted her. No doubt everyone else would want to know that as well. And Scott did know why. "Because I've seen the bad guys…and you're not one of them."

Over in the kitchen, Derek kept watch over the dark creatures as they kept still as if they were statues. The twins were right behind him but Derek was making a point to not look at them. But the two of them could sense that Derek was angry and annoyed with them.

"I wasn't going to hurt her," Aiden tried to defend himself.

"Not yet," Derek mumbled back, still not taking his eyes off the masked faces staring at them.

Aiden scoffed. "Why do you think we're here Derek? For a study group? We're here to protect Scott."

"We're here to fight for him," said Ethan sternly.

"Oh I'm sure you are. I'm sure you'd kill for him." Derek finally turned to face them. "But, are you willing to die for him?" Derek watched as the two of them shared a look at that. He could see that the two of them truly wanted to have Scott as their Alpha but he doubted that the two of them would know what having an Alpha truly meant. These two were Omegas that became Alphas only when they killed their previous Alpha who they hadn't had any loyalty or connection to at all. Unless they learned the meaning of it for themselves, they would never be able to earn a place in a pack, let alone Scott's.

* * *

Katashi looked at his hand with his prosthetic. "Do you know why I'm missing this finger?" he asked Chris.

"Penance." He knew a bit of Japanese culture.

Katashi nodded. "There's a ritual named Yubitsume. Removing the joints of the little finger weakens your grip on a sword. When a Katana is gripped properly, the little finger is the strongest."

"Why did they take your finger?" asked Isaac.

"They didn't take it. A Yakuza performs the ritual himself and offers it to his superior. It was penance for a mistake and, it wasn't my only one." He then turned away and Chris could tell that he was thinking back to that night with the Oni all those years ago. "I don't know if it was the way I moved or stood that suggested to them that I was going to take them on, because actually I was…preparing to run for my life." He then looked back at Chris. "That shot you fired, saved me from looking like a coward before the survivors. For that humiliation I wouldn't have to have given up my finger. I would've had to give up my head." Katashi then moved the pieces of the mask back to him. "I wish I could give you the answer you need Mr. Argent. I owe you more than my life. I owe you my honor," he said with full gratitude before he bowed his head to him. He then raised it with a stern look coming over him. "I will tell you one thing however. If, there is a nogitsune among you…let the Oni destroy it. Even if it's your own daughter."

Chris spared a look towards Allison but didn't say anything else. He just walked on off with Allison and Isaac following right behind him. They had to return and try to find some way to find and deal with the nogitsune.

Katashi brought out his tablet and went to look at his surveillance cameras but he saw that there was nothing but static. He tried to flip through them but each one was the same.

Kincaid was by his shoulder and saw it too and looked over at a nearby guard. "Check the server," he told him.

The man quickly left for the server's room and froze when he found that it was trashed. He also found the body of one of the guards at the corner of the room. He then broke into a hard run back for Katashi but he was tripped when he turned the corner for the office. He screamed as he fell face first to the floor. He lifted his head up in time to see a fist coming for him and knocking him out.

The guard's shout drew men to run for the room but they were quickly gunned down by the intruder. He then threw the silenced guns he had off to the side before going over and reaching for one of the fallen men's guns.

Katashi stiffened when he suddenly heard loud gunfire coming close. Besides Kincaid, there was one other man of his security in the room. He quickly took out his gun and moved to intercept the intruder. Barely two seconds after he left the room there was gunfire and Katashi and Kincaid could see the flashes from the guard firing his gun. But after some shots, they heard him scream and the sound of a body hitting the floor. Kincaid went to stand directly in front of Katashi as they stared at the open door as they heard the sound of steady, incoming steps.

A moment later, into the room stepped a figure dressed in an overcoat over a hooded sweater which was up and covering the intruder's face from view. Kincaid moved to attack him and rushed at him with his claws out. The intruder ducked and dodged each attack with quick reflexes and precision. He kept dodging Kincaid's attacks for a few more strikes before he caught Kincaid's right hand by the wrist. He then went and punched Kincaid in the face before sending a hard kick at his chest making him fly and slide back a few feet. Kincaid was down on one knee as he slightly grasped where he had been kicked before he shook it off. He then lifted his head to show his fangs and then let out a roar with his blue eyes shining.

As Kincaid brought out his eyes, he watched as the figure straightened up. He then saw what looked like dark, purple fire suddenly erupt all around him, like an aura. It flared a bit before it went and formed some kind of a shape. It looked like a…fox. Behind the man the aura behind him moved off in waves and looked a lot like tails. Many tails. The fox then seemed to bare its mouth as if it roared which made Kincaid's scowl fall a bit. In the figure's right hand, there were purple sparks flaring up. At the sight of it, Kincaid charged for him which made the figure raise that arm up at him. There was then a flash of light and Kincaid was then struck at the chest by those sparks. He flew off his feet and through one of the room's windows.

Katashi had been silently watching the whole exchange, not moving a muscle. He hadn't felt fear like this since that night against the Oni so long ago. "Nogitsune," he mumbled frightfully. That made the hooded figure turn towards him. He could make out the bottom half of the face where he saw that whoever it was possessing smirking at him. Katashi then went to reach down for his gun but when he raised it and his head, the figure was already in front of him and knocked it out of his hand. Katashi's other hand reached for a golden hilted dagger that was on the table and pulled it free from its sheath but the nogitsune grabbed his wrist and then twisted it making him let it go with a pained yelp. The nogitsune then grabbed his throat with his other hand and pushed him so that his back and head were flat against his desk. The nogitsune leaned over him and which gave the scared man a good glimpse into his hood. Katashi's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he stared at the possessed face. "You?"

That was all Katashi could say before the nogitsune reached for the dagger and plunged it into his heart.

* * *

Melissa quietly stayed by her ex-husband's side while everyone else was moving about to make sure that they stayed secure so that those things couldn't get through the barrier of the house.

Suddenly, his breathing started to get heavier and he turned his head to look straight at Melissa. "I need to speak to Scott."

"You're kidding, right?" She couldn't help but think that he still had bad timing.

He shook his head at her. "Don't patronize me Melissa. You know why…you know why I really came back, don't you?"

She chose to voice her thoughts. "As usual, your timing sucks. You could've tried to speak to him any time since you've been back. Certainly before threatening to arrest him, being rude to all of his friends and trying to get his best friend's dad fired."

"He wouldn't let me," he tried to explain.

And she shook her head. "No. You're not talking to him. Not like this. It's not fair to him if you do this right now. So, you stay awake and we're gonna get you out of here as fast as we can."

They just stayed there, in the quiet. But, the quiet didn't last for long as there was some shaking throughout the house as if something big hit it.

In the kitchen, Derek, Aiden and Ethan's eyes were all on one of the creatures that had its sword out and was striking at the invisible barrier sending tremors everywhere. Soon, the others joined it as they pounded at other places of the house. The rumbling attracted both Scott and Kira into the room.

"What are they doing?" Scott asked as he watched them light up the barrier and shake the house.

"Testing for weaknesses," Aiden told him.

They started to whack harder. Making the barrier burn brighter and the tremors become worse. The shocks started to make pictures fall off the walls and things break. Suddenly, two of them brought their swords and struck together at the same point in the air. The barrier wasn't rejecting them…it was starting to bend. So much that one of them stuck his hand through and seemed to be pushing itself further into the house.

"Guys?" Ethan said as he eyed it. "We have a problem."

They all could see it. The ash barrier was beginning to collapse. Scott quickly took out his phone and called for Allison. He hoped that they all had managed to find something.

He sighed in relief when Allison picked up right away. "Allison, please tell me that you have something. They're here and trying to get in. It looks like they're going to be able to." He was watching as the things were stretching the barrier even more.

" _ **Okay, they're Japanese demons. They're called the Oni**_ ," she said with her voice carrying through the tensely quiet room. " _ **They're looking for someone possessed. Someone with a dark spirit attached to them**_."

Scott's eyes widened as he remembered what Kira had told him. "A nogitsune."

" _ **How'd you know that?**_ " Allison asked. " _ **Scott?**_ "

But Scott just shook his head. "Tell me what else," he huffed.

" _ **They won't hurt you. They know that you're supernatural but once they do this check, once they realize that you're not carrying with you this dark spirit then they won't hurt you. I promise. All they're looking for is the nogitsune**_."

At that Scott hung up the phone.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Kira asked him. "They're looking for me."

But Scott shook his head. "They're looking for a dark spirit and I know it's not you."

"Scott!" Derek called out to him. "We're going to have to do something."

They all looked just in time for the barrier to fall. The Oni had broken through and they were starting to step into the house. Derek, Ethan and Aiden moved to get ready to fight them.

"Don't do anything," Scott told them.

Ethan blinked as he looked back at the Oni. "Is he serious?"

Scott moved forward. "I said don't do anything," he said in a low tone. He then looked over at Kira and offered her his hand, which she slowly took. "Trust me?"

She nodded and, together, they walked over to the Oni. They looked at them and then grasped them by the side of the head like they had with the others, with yellow-greenish eyes looking down at them. Scott and Kira felt themselves getting cold and their legs gave out which made them kneel down before them. The Oni kept staring into their eyes with their own for a long, tense moment, before they then let them go. Scott and Kira both fell flat to the floor, new marks appearing behind their ears like the others. With that, the Oni then disappeared in black puffs of smoke.

The others ran to them and saw that they were both okay.

* * *

Stiles blinked and saw that he was sitting in his Jeep. It looked like he had fallen asleep in his Jeep after he had left school earlier that day. He certainly felt like he had just woke up but still felt incredibly tired as he stretched but stopped when his eyes focused on the view from his front window. It was night and he was in front of the preserve. What was he doing out here? He didn't remember driving here. His nose crinkled when he saw that there was a fresh new car air freshener on his rear view mirror. It had a honey scent to it.

"Who the hell put that there?" he grumbled. He knew that he didn't. After that whole thing with Jennifer, honey wasn't exactly one of his favorite scents anymore. Before he could reach for it, his phone rang. He moved to get it from his pocket and saw that it was his father calling. "Dad?"

" _ **Stiles?**_ " his father voice rang out. " _ **Good, finally reached you. Where are you?**_ "

"Uh, I'm out here in the preserve. Why?"

" _ **I just heard over the radio. A 911 call was made over at Scott's house.**_ "

Stiles straightened himself up. "Scott? What, did something happen?"

" _ **His father was attacked. They're moving an ambulance there to take him to the hospital and Scott and Melissa are heading over there with him. I would go over there myself but I can't get away now.**_ "

Stiles understood. "Yeah. Okay, I'm on my way."

He then hung up and started up his Jeep. Before he started to pull out, he reached for his rearview mirror and ripped the air freshener off. He then threw it off for the extreme back of his Jeep. He didn't know that the air freshener landed right on a slightly opened bag containing an overcoat and a hooded sweater.

* * *

Scott followed his mother right up to the operating room where his father was wheeled in on a gurney after they got out of the ambulance. Melissa told the staff everything that was wrong with him as he was guided into the room. Melissa then brought out her hand to Scott's chest before he could walk in after them.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but you can't come in," she said to him softly.

But Scott understood. "Alright, but, will he be okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We got here fast enough. He should be okay. Why don't you head on home and rest. You've had a hell of a night."

"Try two," Scott mumbled as he rubbed at his face. "Uh, Stiles is on his way. He could give me a ride back."

"Okay," Melissa said before she reached in to give Scott a hug before she went into the operating room.

Scott stared off after her for a moment before he went off to try and find Stiles.

Stiles was wandering through the hospital, trying to find out where Scott and his mother were. He moved off for one of the closest operating rooms to where he was and moved on in.

"Hello?" he called out as he entered. He saw that it was both empty and dark so he knew that this wasn't the right one. "No," he sighed.

He turned to leave when he suddenly felt a chill hit his spine. Stiles slowly turned to see two figures standing there. Dark figures in masks. He tried to run but there was a third one behind him to cut off his escape. Its glowing eyes looked at him and it went to reach for him but Stiles then quickly grabbed it arm. He twisted it and kept it from touching him as he turned to glare at the masked face. Stiles then took his free hand and thrust it right into its chest before ripping it out, clenched as if he was holding something. The creature then disappeared in a puff of smoke as Stiles looked down at the dying firefly in his hand. A small smirk found its way onto his face as he turned to look over at the other two. They hissed before they moved for him together.

Scott was moving through the halls when he picked up Stiles' scent. He followed it to an empty operating room and saw Stiles was in there, standing in the center of the room, not moving.

"Stiles?" he called out to him. "You okay?"

Stiles then turned around and looked at him with a soft expression on his face. "Yeah. I'm fine. Are you okay? What's been going on?" he asked as he moved for him.

Scott sighed. "Where do I start?" he mumbled.

Scott then led Stiles off as they moved to leave the room. But, in the center of the room, there lay a firefly whose dimming light then died. When it did, it disappeared in a puff of black smoke.


	11. Riddled

Chapter 11: Riddled

His father tried to make them explain what had happened but all Scott and his mother could tell him was that the guy who stabbed him with the sword took off after Kira screamed. They also told the police that they didn't get a good look at him but his father insisted that he did though the Sheriff told them that no one was taking what he said about his attacker dressed like a masked ninja too seriously. It made quite a few laughs go around the station turning his father from a pariah to a laughingstock.

But his father's humiliation was the least of his concerns. The biggest was the Nogitsune that was roaming in Beacon Hills. The very next day after the Oni attacked his house Argent had told them everything that Katashi told them about the Oni and that they would be on the constant hunt for the Nogitsune until they found it. Isaac suggested that they let the Oni find and kill it like Katashi suggested but Scott argued that they couldn't because there could be more people who could get hurt by the Oni like his father had. Argent told Scott that if they were going to find the Nogitsune first, then they had to do it fast before it caused more chaos within the town.

Which struck faster than they thought as that very same afternoon, there was a report of the Zamboni in the ice rink blowing up. The engine had mysteriously caught fire and a small section of the ice rink burned before the firefighters could put it out. People had been scared and had gotten hurt in their need to try and leave the rink. The engine had been analyzed and it was seen that it was sabotaged though the staff claimed that it was in fine working order just the day before which meant it was vandalized.

Right now, Scott was riding on his bike to the next calamity to hit Beacon Hills. He pulled his bike right in front of the Beacon Hills Bowling Alley where there were already a few police cars and an ambulance parked in front. He quickly spotted the Sheriff with some of the employees and walked over so that he could be in sight.

The Sheriff turned and quickly spotted him. "Excuse me for a moment," he told them before he walked on over to Scott. "What are you doing here?" he asked Scott.

But Scott just looked over at the building. "What happened?"

The bowling alley had one of its windows broken with glass splattered on the outside and there was darkness within but Scott could make out the movement of many flashlights inside.

The Sheriff let out a deep sigh. "Well, all the lights inside blacked out all of a sudden and then one of the pin sorting machines suddenly blew. It created a bit of a panic inside for the people inside. Thankfully, no one's dead but we do have two with broken legs and another three with concussions. A few other cuts and scrapes."

"Any idea what caused it?"

"Best we can tell, the pin machine was somehow overloaded and got fried. As for the lights, the circuit breakers were tampered with. The supervisor thinks that it might have been kids. Someone's sick idea for a joke."

Scott's jaw stiffened. "Or something." It looked like things in town were getting worse like Argent said they would.

That made the Sheriff narrow his eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?" Scott just went and put his hands into his pockets. "Scott, do you know who did this?"

"Uh, not exactly who but…let's just say they're not your typical vandal."

"Werewolf?" the Sheriff repeated in disbelief.

"No, nogitsune." The sheriff narrowed his eyes. "It's a fox spirit," he explained further.

"Is that what attacked your house the other night?" The Sheriff asked.

"No, those were Oni. Japanese demons," Scott told him.

The Sheriff sighed and rubbed at his forehead. "Oh god," he muttered to himself.

"How's Stiles doing? Feeling better?" Scott asked. He hadn't seen much of him since the night that the Oni attacked his house.

The Sheriff became uncomfortable. "Stiles…he hasn't been himself lately."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been, quiet. And that's not like him. Has he said anything to you?"

Scott immediately thought back to when Stiles had told him all about how he believed he was the one who had caused the pile-up, helped Barrow and sent him after Kira. Scott found himself shaking his head. "No," he told the Sheriff.

"Are you sure? Stiles, I don't know why but, I feel like something's wrong. He…hasn't been looking very good lately."

"Well, he did tell me that he hadn't been sleeping very well. I told him that he should leave school to take a sick day so he could go home and get some sleep."

"But he didn't go home," the Sheriff said. "He told me that he went to the preserve."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Why would Stiles go there?"

"Sheriff!" one of the deputies shouted out to break their conversation.

"I better get back to work. But, if this was something that only you and your friends could handle, feel free to look and sniff around. Just, be careful. Even injured, your father is still watching and listening for trouble around me."

Scott nodded as the Sheriff went to go back to dealing with everything at the crime scene. Scott moved around, behind the yellow tape, to see if he could pick up any kind of unusual scents around the area where the circuit breakers were but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. He looked around to make sure that no one paying any attention to him and then let his eyes go red to see if he could find anything with his infrared vision. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary around the circuit breakers or towards what he could see of the inside of the alley. He was about to turn away to head out when he saw something at the corner of his eye. It looked like a dark purple fire. Scott thought that it looked similar to what he saw around Kira but this was totally different. But, it wasn't in the bowling alley or anywhere on the scene. It was about two blocks down the street and was pouring out of a person. It had to be the 'aura' that Derek was talking about that surrounded a kitsune. In this case, the aura of a nogitsune.

He then saw that whoever it was coming out of was starting to head off and he moved to follow them. Scott walked a little quickly after them and tried to focus who it was but couldn't make them out as it was too dark. He let his red eyes keep burning to help him see the aura of this person which made it easier to keep them in sight. But this person then suddenly turned down a corner and Scott quickly broke into a run. Scott turned the corner just in time to see a fist collide with his jaw. Scott fell to the ground and heard the sound of feet running. He looked up to see that the mystery person in a hooded sweater with the hood completely up covering their face. They then broke into a run and Scott pushed himself to his feet and ran after them. The nogitsune was fast, so fast that Scott was steadily starting to fall behind him.

"Stop!" Scott shouted after him but he didn't stop. In fact, Scott only heard chuckling in response. He thought back to all the hurt people in the pile-up, how Barrow almost killed Kira and to the last two incidents at the rink and now the bowling alley. The Nogitsune turned his head back and while Scott couldn't see the face as it was obscured by the hood, he could make out an amused smirk. "You're not getting away." Scott's face slightly shifted as he pushed himself more into trying to catch him.

They ran until they towards the edge of the woods. Scott quickly went to run on all fours to try and pick up speed. He was beginning to start gaining some ground but not too much. Scott then stopped as he got to a small clearing. He listened out for any traces of movement and began to pick it up, from all around him. Dead leaves getting crushed and dirt being kicked up like the thing was running. His eyes moved through the darkness as he saw some branches sway and bushes being plowed through by a dark shape. The nogitsune was circling him. In the back of his mind, Scott almost thought this looked familiar before he heard a loud snap to his right. He turned, ready to strike but at the corner of his eye, he found movement and turned his head just in time for him to get shoulder tackled to the ground. He lifted his head up to see the hooded figure chuckling down at him in amusement before running off again.

"Enough!" Scott roared as he got up and ran after him. "This isn't a game!"

There was a ravine up ahead and Scott could see the nogitsune was running for it. The nogitsune wasn't faltering but gaining speed and then leapt when he got to the edge. He jumped over the ravine and landed on his feet, at the other side. Scott moved faster and then went to jump after him. Mid-air, Scott looked down to see what seemed to be a spark of dark purple light where the nogitsune was standing, looking up at him. The next moment, the light then started to move right up at him. Scott felt a fierce burn at his chest and a numbing pain traveled through his body. The force pushed Scott back and he landed back where he had jumped from, rolling a bit back until he landed on his stomach. Scott grit his teeth as he tried to pick himself up but he was only able to lift his head. His red eyes focused across the ravine at the nogitsune who was still standing at the other side watching him. The aura, he saw what looked like a fox, but it was nothing like Kira's. It looked…monstrous. There were deep fangs in its jaws and behind it, tails much like he had seen in Kira's book. The fox seemed to snarl at him just before it and the person exuding it took off into the trees. Scott then let his head drop down to the ground.

* * *

Stiles gasped as woke up but found that he wasn't in his room. He wasn't even in his bed. He was on a hard, stone floor. He looked around and saw that he was somewhere dark with only a bit of light pouring in from a stained glass ceiling. An awful smell also started to fill his nostrils. Where was he, and how did he even get here? It was a moment later that he realized that he was freezing. He went to move to stand up when he heard a metallic jingle as he tried to move his leg. He looked down to see that leg was caught in a steel jawed trap. It was clamped on him just above his ankle and there was blood everywhere. Stiles was so stunned that he couldn't scream correctly. It came out as a whimpered cry as his eyes started to burn and cry. Through his tears he started to look around and noticed that his phone was a few feet away from him. Stiles grit his teeth and started to push up on his arms to try and crawl to it. His trap free leg felt numb while his trap clamped leg sent a hard and burning sting up his body and made a bite of pressure at his head. Stiles' face tightened as he tried to fight through the pain to try and reach his phone to call for help.

But Stiles stopped as he heard some kind of sound in the darkness. At first, he thought that it was the wind, but he then realized that it sounded more like…someone breathing. "Whose there?" he called out weakly. "Is someone there?"

But no one answered him yet Stiles could still hear those same low breathing and hissing sounds. He then tried to keep moving but he kept his eyes out as he tried to see through the darkness. It felt like it took forever between moving such short inches between burning pain spasms, and trying to survey the room, before his fingers finally managed to grasp his phone. He turned on and saw to his horror that he only had a bit of battery power left. He had to move fast. He got to his contact list and quickly went to call for Scott.

He heard three dial tones but Scott wasn't picking up. "No, come on Scott," he nearly wept. "Pick up." But then he heard Scott's voicemail message and let his head sag down a bit. When he heard the beep he let out a whimper before he started to speak. He quickly left a message before his phone 's battery died out.

* * *

Lydia was in the school's art room trying to draw a portrait with Aiden as her model. He was sitting on a stool in a single pose while Lydia tried her best to capture it on her canvas. But Aiden couldn't hold the pose and let his muscles slag down.

"I said hold still," Lydia told him sternly.

Aiden then went to go back to his pose. "Are we even allowed to be here this late? What if security catches us?"

A small smirk found its way onto Lydia's face. "There is no security. The number of homicides in this school have seen to it that no sane person will ever take a night job here ever again." How was that for a silver lining?

Aiden let a small smirk find its way to him now. "So, we're all alone?" he asked mischievously as he rested his arm and straightened up.

"You're losing the pose again."

"You know, when you said that you wanted me to model for you, this wasn't what I thought you had in mind."

"Oh really?" Lydia could already guess what Aiden thought and/or hoped she had in mind. Which was proven but a second later when Aiden went to pull his sweatshirt up and over his head before going back to his pose that way. "If you're thinking nude modeling than its usually done without the pants." Lydia turned back to her portrait but she then heard the sounds of a zipper being undone and then felt the pants hit her head. She looked over to see that Aiden was smiling at her and then went to remove his boxers next. But, before he could, Lydia felt a cold chill travel up her spine and something just beyond her hearing. And it was getting louder. So loud, that she quickly stood up, so fast that her stool fell. "Do you hear that?" she asked him.

Aiden stopped when he noticed the look on her face. "Hear what?"

"You're telling me that you don't hear that?"

"I hear music, what do you hear?"

Lydia's eyes moved off. "Voices," she almost whispered.

She then looked over at the speakers but didn't hear music. She was hearing heavy breathing. Whimpering. And then a small voice saying: "Come find me. Please."

Aiden took a step over to her. "Lydia, what is it? Whose voice do you hear?"

Lydia took a deep breath but kept her eyes on the radio. "It's Stiles."

* * *

Chris Argent was with Dr. Deaton at the animal clinic, looking over a map.

Chris pointed his finger over a certain area. "It likes to roam through these grounds. He likes to keep at least two men watching over that section of his estate but they change rounds every two hours. You'll have just over a minute. That will be your window," he instructed the vet.

Deaton nodded. "Thank you. That should give me the access I need." Deaton then moved to fold the map up.

"Are you sure that it will work?" Chris asked him.

Deaton looked over and gave him a nod. "Positive. If we want to stop the Nogitsune, then we'll need some. Hopefully I shouldn't be gone too long." He then moved to grab his coat and reach for his bag.

But Argent put his hand right on top of it before he could grab it. "I'm trusting you to get what we need to give us a fighting chance. But, I wonder why you aren't trusting me Alan."

Despite the hostility that Chris spoke to him with, Deaton just looked calmly back at him. "I trust you well enough Chris. Enough to help me get through this trip alive."

"Then why are you not telling me who you believe the Nogitsune is possessing?"

"It's not exactly belief. More of an educated guess."

"Fine, then why won't you share with me your educated guess then?"

Deaton kept the calm look about him as he stared back at the slight glare that Argent was giving him. "Because while I may trust you with my life, I don't trust you with the life of someone who is an innocent victim."

"I've never taken an innocent's life," Argent argued.

"No," Deaton cut in. "You never have, according to your code. Correct?" He was looking rather pointedly at Argent as he said that.

Chris let himself take a deep breath. "I follow a new code now," he told him.

"Your daughter started a new code and she is still young and new enough to all of this to follow it. However, after years of living and learning under your previous code, for you to suddenly move and live by another might be easier said than done. Can you really be made to fight against years of training and engraved instinct? How is it that the saying goes? 'You can never teach an old dog new tricks'. Speaking as someone who's worked with many dogs over the course of my career, I've learned that isn't necessarily true, but it's just how it is for nearly most cases."

"You're confusing me with my father," Chris tried to argue.

"No, I understand perfectly well who you are Chris. That's why I'm not telling you anything. At least, not until after I get what I need."

Chris Argent kept that hard stare on Deaton before he turned and went off to leave through the front door of the clinic without another word. Deaton then went to shut off the light before he left too and then locked the door. The sounds of his footsteps became fainter as he moved further away. In his office, the sound of a car starting up could be faintly heard just before the phone started to ring.

* * *

Scott was in his room, putting on a new shirt as he was waiting for Deaton to pick up. After five rings, he hung up.

"Deaton's still not answering," he mumbled.

Isaac was off at the other side of his room, holding the shirt that Scott in front of him. He was examining the scorch mark that was at his chest. "Well, we need help to try and find out how to stop a guy that shoots lightning out of his hands." He then tossed it off to a random spot. "You didn't see anything that could tell us who it was?"

"No," Scott huffed out as he kept his face to his phone as he tried Deaton again. "I couldn't see his face and he ran too fast for me to get anything off him."

"Did you at least get a scent?" Isaac asked.

But Scott shook his head. "No, I didn't and I tried. It was like, he didn't have one."

Isaac's eyebrows rose up. "He didn't have a scent? How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but, at least this guy has an aura. It's like how we could see one around Kira when we use our wolf eyes. We just got to keep a lookout for it and then we'll find them." Scott then went and hung up. "Deaton must not be at the clinic, and I tried him both at his home and his cell." But then Scott's phone started ringing. He looked down at the screen and saw that it was Lydia who was calling him. "Lydia?"

* * *

Kira was reading some pages of folklore that she collected on Kitsunes. She was reading that Kitsunes often lived for centuries of time and their lifespans could be measured by the number of tails that they possessed. The more older the kitsune was then the more stronger and powerful they tended to be. As she was reading, the lamp by her bedside suddenly went out. She reached over and tried to turn it back on but it stayed shut off.

"Mom!" she called out. "My lamp's dead! Do we have any more bulbs?"

She took the casing off and went to try and take the bulb off but as her hand rubbed against it, it shined brightly. It happened so fast that she pulled her hand away and then it shut off. Kira slowly moved her hand closer to the bulb again and it started to dimly light up. The light got brighter the closer she put her hand to it. She then went to touch it and she saw some sparks fly around inside of it before it went and burst.

Just as her mother walked in and stopped as she looked from her to the lamp. "What did you do?" she asked with a bit of an accusing tone.

"Uh, nothing. It was an accident," she said as she moved to try and clean up the shards.

"It's after midnight, you should already be asleep." She then moved to replace the broken light bulb. As she was screwing the new one on, there was a moment where sparks flew inside of it. One that she noticed Kira had noticed. She then moved to quickly finish fastening it before it turned on. "Go to sleep," she told her daughter.

Kira watched her mother as she left the room before she looked back at the lamp. She knew what she saw. Whatever she had done with the lamp, her mother had done the exact same thing.

* * *

Lydia and Aiden were standing in Stiles' dimly lit room and turned around as the door burst open and Scott and Isaac came on in with nervous and shocked looks on their faces.

"What happened? You said something happened to Stiles! Did he call you?" Scott asked them.

"No, I heard it," Lydia quickly told them.

Aiden quickly saw that they were getting confused. "Don't ask. It gets more confusing when you ask."

"Not as confusing as this," she sighed as she turned around to look at the room.

Scott and Isaac then looked to see that the walls of Stiles' room were littered with news articles, photos and different notes. All of them were connected by strings of red yarn that were going off to a pair of scissors that were stabbed into the center of his mattress.

"What?" Scott breathed out as he looked at the setup.

Lydia turned to him. "He uses red for unsolved cases."

"Maybe he thinks he's part of an unsolved case," Aiden said.

"Or is an unsolved case," Isaac threw in.

"Guys," Lydia cut in. "He's out there and we don't know where he is."

"I tried calling him but it just goes right to voicemail," Scott told her.

"Try again," she said pointedly to him.

Scott whipped out his phone but before he could make another call, Isaac stopped him. "You have a message," he said pointing to the icon at the top.

Scott tapped it and his jaw dropped a bit. "It's from Stiles!" How could Scott had missed this? He looked at the time stamp on it and realized that Stiles must've tried calling him when he had been incessantly trying to call Deaton earlier.

"Well play it," Lydia almost screamed at him.

They all stood still as they listened to Stiles' voice. " _ **Scott, you have to help me. I…I don't know where I am. My eyes…I can barely see, my eyes are watery. It's dark, smells bad and it's…cold.**_ " It sounded like he was whispering. " _ **I…think I'm in some kind of basement. My leg, it's caught on something. A trap. You have to come find me, please,"**_ he said almost begging. " _ **But, don't tell my dad. And, I…I think there's someone in here with me.**_ " Then it cut off.

"He's in a basement?" Isaac asked them. "How could he have gotten stuck in a basement?"

Lydia shook his head. "He must've been sleepwalking."

"It's the coldest night in the year. It's going to drop in the 20's," Aiden pointed out.

"We have to call his dad," Lydia said to them.

But Scott shook his head. "Stiles told us not to."

"We're here and we can get a better scent and find him," Isaac said backing Scott up.

"He can't have gotten far," Scott also threw in.

"Uh, you guys did notice that his jeep's gone, right?" Aiden told them.

Lydia then took out her phone. "I'm calling his dad."

"Lydia," Scott said trying to stop her. He knew how Stiles felt when it came to worrying his dad about something like this.

But Lydia wasn't quitting. "He asked you not to tell his father, not me."

"Then we'll call Derek and Allison," Scott tried. "We'll call everyone."

"Everyone but the cops. Great idea," Lydia spat back at him.

Aiden stood by her. "You guys do remember that she only gets these feelings when someone's about to die, right? Stiles isn't a werewolf anymore. He's out there in his pajamas, stuck, bleeding and freezing. He won't be able to take the cold or pain like we still can."

Scott let out a small sigh. Aiden was right. Stiles didn't have much time and neither did they. "Alright but, you don't have to call his dad. It's five minutes to the station. He should be back there by now."

Scott and Isaac went to leave with Aiden moving to follow them but Lydia held Aiden back. "We'll catch up."

Scott and Isaac froze. "What, why?"

"There is something here," she said as she looked back over at the setup that Stiles made in his room.

Isaac let his eyes roam at it all again. "Yeah, evidence of total insanity."

Scott let a small heated breath loose. "We can figure out what's wrong with him after we find him and stop him from freezing to death."

"Go, we're right behind you," Lydia told him.

Scott and Isaac then went to leave the house while Lydia and Aiden stayed behind in Stiles' room.

* * *

Stiles tried to bend his back so that he could try and reach for the trap but his body felt like a tone of bricks. He could barely lift himself. He pushed to get his hands to the trap but as he tried to sit up, his back suddenly gave out and felt himself lying flat against the freezing floor. Stiles was now weeping as his teeth started to chatter a bit. A few seconds of weeping, he then started to hear a scratching noise. He turned his head over to where it was coming from and could vaguely make out some movement from a dark figure. He then noticed that the breathing he heard from before was back but was even louder and was coming from him.

"Whose there?" he asked again, even louder. The figure turned over and Stiles could see a white gauze covering his whole head. "Who are you?" The figure opened its mouth and let out a hard hissing breath as it then lowered its gauze covered and dropped something. It began to roll on the ground towards him and Stiles saw that it was a stick of chalk. Stiles then looked back up and saw that the guy was gone but on the wall in front of where he had been was now a marking. A reverse 5 which Stiles had remembered Scott told him all about. "Self," he mumbled as it disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Stiles then heard a voice speaking off words that didn't make any sense to him. "I don't understand."

The figure then stepped up so that he was in the view of the light that was pouring in from above. It looked like a man whose face and hands were covered in gauze. He was wearing a brown leather jacket with some stitched patches on it. Stiles instincts kicked in and told him that whoever this was, wasn't human.

"It's not who are you Stiles. It's who are we?" Stiles narrowed his eyes as he tried to bend down again and go for the trap. This time, he managed to grab it but he couldn't pull the jaws apart and free his leg. "Stiles," the thing spoke out again. "Did you notice yet?"

"What?" he choked out.

"That we stopped shivering." Stiles froze in his attempts to realize that he did stop shivering. "You know why that's a bad sign."

Stiles stopped trying to pull on the trap and let himself rest. "It…it's the body trying to conserve energy. It…it was my fifth grade science report. Hypothermia."

"Our speech is starting to thicken, then comes fatigue. You know the truth don't you? We're going to die before we ever get out of here."

Stiles was starting to wobble in place a bit but he grit his teeth as he let some of anger keep him still as he glared at this thing's direction. "Stop saying that. Stop saying we," he spat.

"Your friends are not coming. We know that, don't we?" It started to slither back around the corner.

"They're coming!" Stiles cried out. "Scott will come for me."

"No he won't," it's voice dropped a bit. "He never does. We've seen it before, haven't we Stiles?" It stayed silent for a moment to let his words start to hit Stiles as he glared off at him with some fresh tears falling from his eyes. "Scott won't find us. Your friends won't find us. If we want to get out of here, we have to do it ourselves like we always do. We are going to freeze to death down here, unless you get up Stiles."

Stiles let a small whimper escape him before his glare returned. "And how am I supposed to do that? There's a metal trap on my leg!" he roared.

The thing's bandaged head peeked out from around the corner. "Is there?" Stiles shook his head and stared back at the trap. "It was on your right leg before, wasn't it?"

Stiles tried to focus his vision through his watered eyes and saw that the trap was now clamped on his opposite leg. It was bloodied and trapped while his other leg looked untouched. His breathing quickened a bit. "What is this? What are you doing? Who are you?!"

The thing's breathing got louder. "The one trying to save you Stiles. The only one who is…and the only one who can."

* * *

Scott and Isaac met up with Stiles' dad over at the Sheriff's station. He seemed to be struggling very hard to keep it together as he took the boys over to Deputy Jordan Parish to get his help and the other deputies' help. When they got to his desk, Scott could see the Sheriff's hand was shaking a bit.

But, he took some deep breaths and clenched it to steady himself. "If his Jeep's gone then that's where we start," he breathed out as he looked over at Scott. Scott nodded and he then turned to the deputy. "Parish, put an APB out on a blue 1980 CJ5 Jeep." He then looked to another one. "Gordo, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sub-level of any building that he could've gotten into while sleepwalking." The man nodded to him. The Sheriff turned to everyone else. "It's the coldest night of the year so if he's out there barefoot and just a T-shirt then he could be hypothermic. So, let's move fast. Let's think fast." The deputies started to move and Stilinski looked to the boys. "You two come with me." He took Scott and Isaac to his office and shut the door behind them. "Okay, is there anything that you need to tell me that I can't tell everyone else out there?"

"Lydia knew he was missing," Scott told him.

The Sheriff remembered that Stiles had told him that Lydia was a banshee though he still didn't quite understand what that meant. "Can she help find him?"

"She's working on it," said Isaac.

"Anything else?" he asked the boys.

"I called Derek and Allison for help," Scott tried to offer.

"Can't you find him by scent?" he pressed.

But they were interrupted by Parish. "Sir, we found it. We found the Jeep."

"Where?" he asked Parish.

* * *

Everyone was rushing over to the hospital where Stiles' Jeep had been spotted. They got to it and found that the lights were still on. The Sheriff ran over to it and opened the door to find that it was empty.

He then slammed the door and looked over at Scott. "It's dead. He must've left the lights on."

Scott looked over at the hospital. "Why would he come here?"

"Let's find out," the Sheriff said before he moved in and led his deputies into the hospital.

Scott looked over at Isaac. "Got his scent?"

Isaac nodded. "Yeah."

"Let's go," he said before he pulled Isaac to follow it into the hospital.

As soon as the Sheriff and his men walked through the door, Melissa was running over to them.

"Security is doing sweeps," she said as she came to the Sheriff. "Every floor but nothing yet."

"What about the basement?" he asked her.

"Follow me." She then led them off for the basement level.

Scott and Isaac were running up the service stairs, following after Stiles' scent and saw that it seemed to be leading them for the roof. They ran faster but when they got there all they found was Derek.

"He's not here," Derek told them. "Not anymore."

"In the whole building?" Scott quickly asked.

"Gone," he answered. "Not just him, his scent is gone too."

Scott deflated at the news. He didn't want to imagine the look on the Sheriff's face when he had to tell them that they just hit a dead end.

Isaac spared him the trouble. "I'll go tell Stilinski," he offered.

"See if you can find Allison. She's not answering her phone."

Isaac then left to break the bad news while Scott moved over for Derek.

"Notice how strong the scent is up here?" Derek asked as he took it all in. "You ever hear of chemo signals? Chemical signals that communicate emotion. Just our sweat could give off anger, fear, disgust. Take a deep breath. Tell me what do you feel?"

Scott closed his eyes and sniffed the air that was full of Stiles' scent. As he inhaled it all in, he was starting to feel- "Stress," he said out loud.

"Anxiety," Derek further explained.

"What was he doing up here?"

Derek shook his head. "I don't know. There was definitely some kind of struggle."

"With who?" Who could Stiles had been struggling with up here?

Derek just looked out. "Himself."

* * *

Lydia and Aiden were roaming through the room. Lydia was going up and down the walls of pictures and articles in Stiles' set up while Aiden was browsing through his stuff.

As Aiden was looking, he stumbled on a picture of Scott and Stiles in lacrosse gear. From how they looked, he guessed that this photo must've been taken before the two of them had been bitten by Peter Hale. The two of them just being goofy, carefree teenagers. It was a little hard to think that one day, one of these boys would become a True Alpha and the other would go from almost achieving the legendary werewolf rank of a Beast to a sleepwalking invalid. He then put the picture down and looked over to the side to see that there was a picture frame with a drawing of a tree. "Didn't you draw this?" he asked holding it up for Lydia to see.

Lydia looked over and gave him a look. "Put that back."

"It's yours, right?" he asked her again with a small teasing smile on his face.

"It's one of them," she said.

Aiden then turned it to give it another look. "He likes you a lot."

"Used to," she said moving for him. Allison had told her what Scott once told her about Stiles having liked her. It certainly explained how Stiles used to act around her during their freshman and sophomore year. A small part of her couldn't help but wonder how it would be if she had actually noticed him sooner. She won't deny that she used to be, and in some ways still was, a difficult and self-centered person. But Stiles had always been nice to her, stood up for her, and even helped her try to understand her new banshee side. "But he's moved on," she told both him and her. "Besides, maybe he just likes the drawing."

Aiden went and pointed to a note that Stiles made on the back. "For Lydia," he read aloud teasingly.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Alright give me that," she said reaching for it. There was a beep from her phone and she went for it to see that Scott sent her a text. "They didn't find anything at the hospital. Derek's going to check at the high school, Isaac went to go find Allison and Scott's with the Sheriff."

"And we're standing in a bedroom staring at the walls," Aiden pointed out.

Lydia went back to try again to make sense of what Stiles had set up here while Aiden kept wandering around. He then went over to one of the nearest strings and just gave it a pluck for the hell of it.

At that moment, Lydia heard what seemed to be voices coming from where he was. "What did you just do?" she asked making Aiden jump a bit. "Did you just touch one of those strings?'

"Maybe," he said like a naughty child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Lydia stared at him for a bit before she reached for the nearest string and gave it a pluck herself. She heard the voices again. "What did that sound like to you?" she asked him.

"Like a string being pulled," he told her.

"You didn't hear people whispering?"

He shook his head. "Definitely did not hear people whispering."

Lydia then bent down and started to press her ear closer to the strings. She ran her hand along them and she could hear the whispers constantly going off until she took her hand away. "You didn't hear that?"

"Lydia, I'm not sure anybody hears what you hear."

Which means that something inside of her was trying to tell her something. Something that had to be related to Stiles and what was going on with him right now. "The whispering. It's something about a house."

"What house?"

She plucked on one of them and it seemed to be pointing to a picture of an institution that Stiles pinned on his wall. "That one."

Aiden went over and read the caption. "What's Eichen House?"

Lydia knew it. "A mental health center. It's where William Barrow, the shrapnel bomber was committed."

Aiden stiffened. He remembered what he had overheard between Scott and Stiles after Halloween. "Is that it?"

She nodded. "It's where he is. That's Stiles is."

* * *

Agent McCall walked into the Sheriff's station and saw that it was pretty quiet right now. He noticed that even the Sheriff wasn't in his office. Besides the person at the front desk, he could only find one deputy, Parish.

"Where is everyone?" he asked him. But Parish just kept looking at the screen as if he hadn't spoken. "Did we get a lead on our sword wielding maniac?" he asked hoping that's what this all was about.

"Nope," Parish said to him before looking over to the side. "But don't worry. We've got posters all over town for your guy."

McCall looked over again to see those ridiculous artist renderings that they did of his attacker. One looking like Jack the Ripper and the other of an armored samurai. "Not exactly how I described him to the sketch artist," he said spitefully.

Parish just went back to what he was doing without looking at him. He was among the deputies that didn't like the agent being there and was supportive of the Sheriff. "Well, you're not exactly the highest priority of the night Agent McCall."

"What does that mean? What's so high priority?" he asked the deputy.

"It's Stiles Agent McCall. He's missing."

While McCall admittedly didn't much like either of the Stilinski's he knew that his ex-wife and son cared very much for them both. He went to read the report filed on the search for Stiles and saw what Scott had put down as his testimony for the voicemail that Stiles had left for him. His eyes widened as he read them. They sparked something familiar to him. "Parish," he called out to him as he left the office. "Is this the exact transcript of Stiles' message to Scott?"

"It's what he gave us," he said.

"But these exact words? Stiles actually said that his eyes are watery and where he is smells bad?"

Parish just shrugged his shoulders. But then he started hearing a familiar voice mention his name. He went to the front desk and saw that Melissa was there and she was asking for him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"My shift was over. I just wanted to see if I could help."

He sighed. "Come with me."

Her eyes narrowed. "To where?"

"I think I might know where Stiles is."

* * *

Aiden had taken Lydia with him on his bike to Eichen House after she had called Scott and told him that she knew where Stiles was. They had arrived there a little before the Sheriff and Scott had arrived along with a few deputies. They found the pair there waiting by the gate as they stepped out of their cars.

"Lydia," the Sheriff asked as he ran to them. "I don't want to say if you're sure about this but-"

Lydia cut him off. "No, he's here. I swear to god he's here," she said sternly but surely.

The Sheriff let out a small sigh as he looked over at the building. "Okay." He then charged on in and headed for the front desk where the receptionist was a little taken aback at the rush of people charging in. "I need access to all basement rooms in this facility," the Sheriff told him.

As the Sheriff, Scott, Aiden and Lydia were all heading for the basement, Lydia felt something stir within her. The feeling from back in Stiles' room, it was back and it was getting stronger. The more closer they got to the lower level, the stronger it got.

"It's here," she announced when they got to the bottom level. She then looked on ahead and spotted a metal door. "It's right here."

They broke the door in and started to run into the room. It was a dark, basement room like Stiles had mentioned in his message. They quickly looked around, but found nothing. The room was empty. There was no sign that Stiles or anyone had even been here at all.

Scott couldn't even find a trace of Stiles' scent. "Lydia?"

She shook her head. "I don't get it. This has to be it."

The Sheriff's breathing started to increase as he looked at the bare room. "Then where is he? Where is he? Where is he?!" he raged out at her. That made her flinch and step back from him. Both Scott and Aiden eyed him a little uncomfortably and the Sheriff went to calm down. "I'm sorry," he breathed out heavily.

"I was sure," Lydia almost whispered. Aiden went over to her and led her back up the stairs.

Scott and the Sheriff moved to follow after him. None of them noticed that on the wall below the stairs was a kanji for 'self' carved into the wall.

As they were heading back for the lobby, Scott was rubbing at his eyes stressfully. "This night just keeps getting from bad to worse," he mumbled to himself.

But Aiden heard him. "What do you mean?"

Scott looked over to him and deflated. "I ran into the nogitsune."

Aiden's eyes widened. "You did? Where?"

"Near the bowling alley where he caused another accident like he did at the rink the other day."

"Why attack a bowling alley and an ice rink?" he asked.

"I don't know. I tried to go after him but…I lost him in the woods."

"Did you see who it was?" he asked him.

Scott shook his head. "No, I didn't get a good look at him. He was wearing a hood that covered his face."

* * *

Agent McCall and Melissa were driving off where she told him that they got word that Stiles might be in a basement over in Eichen House. However, he wasn't driving them in that direction. He told her that they were going off for where he really was.

"Wait, what are you saying?" she asked him after he told her that.

"I'm saying that how do we know that he's where he said he was? How do we know that he isn't still asleep?"

"You mean he's been sleeping the whole time."

"Well, people who sleepwalk can do crazy things. I mean, one guy goes down to the kitchen and cooks an entire meal. Another guy is found mowing his lawn, naked."

Melissa scoffed. "What does any of that matter?"

"Remember that time in the apartment we lived in. There was one night where I…came home drunk," he said uncomfortably.

"Oh, one night," Melissa said back to him as she looked at him with accusation in her eyes.

"Let me finish," he breathed out. "So, I'm drunk. Passed out on the bed. I get up to go to the bathroom and suddenly I hear you yelling: What the hell are you doing?"

"Because you were in the closet, peeing into the laundry basket," she said in a bit of amusement.

"Yeah, but I thought it was the bathroom."

"Oh you were drunk off your ass," she said with a mix of amusement and irritation.

"But I was convinced it was the bathroom," he said trying to get back to his point. "So how do we know that Stiles isn't convinced that he's in some kind of basement but isn't actually there? When he called Scott, he might've still been asleep."

"And how do you know where he really is?" she asked.

He looked over to her. "Because I've been there before."

* * *

Stiles tried to focus to get a better look at whoever or whatever was in the room with him. It was back to facing the wall in the spot that he had drawn Self which was back. Stiles had been silent with it for a while now but he was noticing that he was barely able to feel anything at all now. His feet were completely numb and he could barely move his legs. He knew that meant that his time was almost up.

"How?" he finally spoke out. "How can you help me?"

"Let me in," it whispered.

"What?"

"Let me in…before we freeze to death."

Stiles didn't understand what it was talking about. "Why? Why do you keep saying we?"

"You still don't understand, do you?" the thing asked him as he kept staring at the wall. "It's a riddle. You know any riddles Stiles?"

"A few," he coughed out.

"What gets bigger the more you take away?" the thing asked.

"A hole," answered Stiles.

"What gets wetter the more it dries?" it again asked.

"A towel," answered Stiles.

"When is a door not a door?" it asked as it raised its gauzed hand towards him.

"When its ajar," he gasped. Suddenly, a rush of memories hit Stiles. Memories of, his dreams. Dreams of a gauze covered hand reaching for him. "You…it's you."

"You finally remember," it said happily.

"Who are you?" Stiles choked out.

"Everyone has it but no one can lose it." It rubbed its hand over the symbol on the wall.

"What?"

"You want to know, who I am?" It turned towards Stiles and started to prowl its way over to him. "Everyone has it but no one can lose it," it repeated. "What is it Stiles?"

"I…I don't know," he said as he wiped away another tear gathering in his eye.

"Everyone has it," it said slumping closer to him. But it then started to speak again in a foreign language. To Stiles, it still sounded like a question.

"I don't know," he said to him. But the thing thrust itself at his face. It shouted at him. In the same language. Roared it into his face and its silver colored fangs were shining in the darkness. Stiles started crying more heavily as he turned away. The thing only got angrier and went over to Stiles' leg and grabbed at the chain attached to the trap clamping on it. It started to pull him away and Stiles was being dragged off. "No! No!" he cried as tried to turn and claw at the floor. He thrashed about trying to not be carried away. "No!"

The next moment Stiles found himself in someone's grip but he kept fighting to be free. After a few seconds, he realized that this person was repeating his name and was hugging him.

"Stiles!" Stiles then realized that he was in the embrace of Scott's mother. "It's okay. You're alright Stiles."

Stiles started to calm down and looked over at Melissa's face and saw that she was with Scott's father. Melissa was holding him tighter as Agent McCall took off his jacket to put it on him. He wasn't in a basement anymore either, but out in the woods. Right outside Malia's coyote den.


	12. Riddled part 2

Chapter 12: Riddled part 2

Allison was peacefully sleeping in her bed, was, until there was hard knocking over at her door. She wiped at her eyes before she got up and went over to the door to find that it was Isaac.

"What the hell have you been doing?" he asked the moment it was open.

"Sleeping," she said shortly at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

Isaac's face fell a bit. "You didn't get any calls or texts?"

At that, Allison went on for her room with Isaac following after her. She went off and grabbed her phone. "My phone's off. I never turn my phone off." She quickly turned it on and suddenly found a whole lot of missed calls and texts from Scott's phone. She opened the latest one. One that was about Stiles. "Sleepwalking? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, they found him a few minutes ago. They're bringing him to the hospital." Isaac then looked off to listen in case her father heard them and got up but he found that there was no sound of another heartbeat which meant that he wasn't here.

But Allison kept her attention on her phone. "I don't know how this happened. I never turn my phone off," she said scrolling through all the texts she had gotten. But, she suddenly found a voicemail message from an unknown caller. Not just one though. There were near a dozen of them. She played the first one and started to hear a man speaking a foreign language. To Allison, it sounded like it was Japanese. But the man didn't sound like he was trying to talk to Allison. It sounded like he was reading her something.

Isaac was listening to it to. "What is that?"

* * *

Aiden was outside the hospital with Derek helping to jumpstart Stiles' jeep while everyone else was inside. Derek had brought his van over and was getting his jumper cables.

"Do you think he was just sleepwalking or was there something more to it?" Aiden asked Derek as he was hooking the cables over to his car.

"In this town, there's always something more."

Aiden nodded as he went to put his hands into his pockets. "What if I told you that I know something more?" Derek turned to face him. "I kind of overheard…well I listened in on Stiles talking with Scott a few days ago. How he thinks that he was the one that he left the message in the chemistry classroom. The one telling Barrow to kill Kira. And, that he might've been the one to cause the pile-up on Halloween."

"Really?" Derek mumbled.

"Yeah," Aiden said with his expression unmoved. "Then I thought…how all of us, every werewolf and even Lydia were attacked by the Oni, but Stiles wasn't."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Because he's not supernatural anymore."

"Yeah which is supposed to be impossible and we still don't know how or why that happened. And get this, Scott told me how he ran into the nogitsune tonight. He couldn't see who it was and he lost him in the woods…and Stiles just so happened to be found in the woods."

Derek let a small smirk find its way onto his face. "You really think that Stiles…Skinny, sarcastic Stiles, is the nogitsune? A powerful, dark spirit."

Aiden just kept staring at Derek resolutely. "I'm not the only one thinking it, I'm just the only one saying it."

Derek scoffed. "This thing is looking to possess someone and it chooses Stiles?"

"Deucalion wanted to have Stiles," Aiden argued. "Peter also wanted to have Stiles. You also wanted him once, didn't you?"

"Yeah, when he was a werewolf. Stiles may be resourceful and smart but he's not as impressive without his," Derek then froze. "Power," he finished before he looked down at the jumper cables he was holding and brought them together to create some sparks. And like that, something else sparked in his mind.

* * *

Scott and Lydia were sitting out in the waiting area with his mother and father when the four of them noticed Sheriff Stilinski finally coming out of the room and he walked towards them.

"He's sleeping now. And he's just fine," he grunted out. Scott and Lydia sighed with relief. "He doesn't remember much. It's all been like a dream to him." He then looked over at McCall. "Thank you."

Scott looked over at his father as well. While he had his problems with him, he was able to find and save his best friend when he couldn't. "How did you know where he really was?"

"From the message that you said Stiles left on your phone," he started to explain. "How he said that his eyes were watery. That same thing happened to me in the coyote den. It was the repellent. They sprayed it in order to keep other animals out. I couldn't go near it without my eyes watering too. It was just a good thing that he mentioned it over the phone."

"It was more than that," the Sheriff said to him.

"It was a lucky connection," McCall said nonchalantly.

"McCall, could you shut up please," the Sheriff cut in. "And accept my sincerest gratitude?"

Agent McCall gave him a small look before he held his good hand out to him. "Accepted."

The Sheriff returned his hand with his own and they shook.

Melissa looked over to her son and Lydia. "Alright, you two have school in less than six hours. Go home and try and get some sleep."

"Okay," Scott said as he leaned in for a hug. He doubted he would be able to get much sleep after all this though.

Lydia moved to follow after him. "I don't know what happened," she whispered to him. "I was so sure."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't much help either," Scott muttered. "But, it doesn't matter. He's okay." Just then, Lydia turned around and started looking about. Scott knew that reaction. "Lydia, do you hear something?"

Lydia was hearing something. It was a loud and repetitive banging sound. It sounded almost like metal hitting metal. But it soon ended and Lydia shook her head. "No," she told him. Her hearing of things had caused enough trouble for one night. "I don't hear anything."

Scott heard Lydia's heart. She was lying but it was clear that she was still angry at herself for their trip to Eichen House. He just walked with her to leave the hospital.

* * *

Stiles started shifting around in his bed and slowly opened his eyes to see that his father was sitting off in a chair on the other side of the room, his head wobbling a bit with his eyes closed.

"Dad?" he called out.

The Sheriff straightened up in his chair and saw that Stiles was rubbing at his eyes. "Hey, how you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess." Stiles took a deep breath from his nose and realized that he had a bit of a sniffle.

His dad gave him a small smile as he saw Stiles move to wipe at his nose. "Yeah, it looks like you might have caught a little something from being out there."

Stiles tried to sit up but he felt as if he was heavier than before and his throat was feeling a bit dry. "My throat," he said as he rubbed it.

"Right, you haven't eaten or drank anything since yesterday afternoon. Just a sec," his dad said before leaving the room.

A moment later, he came back with a cup of water and Melissa was trailing behind him with a clip board.

"You feeling better Stiles?" she asked as his father gave him the water.

"Peachy," he grunted before he went to take a sip of his water.

Melissa readied her clipboard. "Okay, Stiles do you remember anything about last night? About getting up and going to that cave?"

Stiles narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "No. Uh, the last thing I remember…I was in my room. I was getting ready for bed and…the next thing I knew, I was in that basement. Or, I thought I was in a basement."

"You were sleepwalking. Has that been happening to you lately other than last night?" she asked him.

Stiles seemed hesitant to answer the question, given that his father was sitting in the room with him.

The Sheriff saw his son's look. "Stiles, please. We have to know what's going on with you, so please, tell Melissa everything."

Stiles closed his eyes and sighed to himself. He nodded before he opened his eyes. "A few times. Sometimes at night, other times during the day. I would just, end up somewhere and not remember how I got there or what I did."

Melissa made a note of that. "Are you still having nightmares?"

Stiles shrugged. "A few here and there but, I'm not really able to remember much of them now."

She nodded. "Any signs of irrational or erratic behavior?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Possibly to the point of homicide."

That made both Melissa and the Sheriff's eyebrows raise a bit.

"Having trouble focusing?" she then asked.

"Yeah, I went back to my Adderall but it's not working like it used to."

"Any idea why?"

"No idea, though it might have something to do with being a surrogate sacrifice to a mystical tree."

She nodded. "I vaguely remember that," she said sharing a small smile with the Sheriff.

Stiles let out a soft yawn. "Yeah."

Melissa's face softened at that. "Uh, how much have you've been sleeping?"

Stiles shrugged. "About eight hours."

"A day?" she asked.

"A week," he said.

"What?" his father said making him look off towards the window.

In the sunlight, Melissa noticed how Stiles' skin tone had gotten paler and he seemed a bit thinner too. "Have you've been eating okay?"

"Yeah, though not as much as I used to. I haven't really had much of an appetite."

"Any other things that have been bothering you?"

"Well, I've gotten quite a few headaches, here and there. It just happens out of nowhere. Sometimes it lasts for a few seconds, other times…it gets so bad that I try to take some medicine to try and make it stop."

"Or drink," his father said pointedly making Stiles look over at him, paling. "I found the bottle in your bed Stiles." Stiles looked away from him and began to rub his fingers together nervously. "Don't worry, I'm not mad but I wished that you would've said something."

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Melissa led the Sheriff out into the hallway. "I know this is a tough time for the both of you but there's something I feel I should tell you." She looked down at all of the factors and symptoms she dotted down. "All of this, I've seen this before and…I think you should know-"

The Sheriff cut her off. "You can stop right there. I, already know." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notepad. He opened it and revealed a list written down with symptoms. "You're not the only one that's been making a list. I've been noticing a few things here and there. Stiles, he's been trying to hide it, but ever since the whole werewolf thing, I've worked at noticing things that seem wrong with him."

"So, you already know what this might mean?" she asked hesitantly.

He closed his eyes and then nodded. "Claudia." He sighed and then opened his eyes. "I think we have to run some tests."

"I'll…make the arrangements."

"Thank you," he said to her softly.

They then looked over through the door's window to see Stiles rubbing a bit at his forehead.

* * *

Scott was barely aware of anything going on around him at school. All he could think about was Stiles. Of all the times that Stiles had been in trouble, from when he had been kidnapped by Gerard to when he and their parents were nearly killed in the root cellar, he had managed to pull through. This time though, sleepwalking to the middle of the woods, he had nearly died and would have if his mom and dad hadn't found him when they did. First he lost the nogitsune and then he nearly lost his best friend, all on the same night. Stiles had tried to contact him but he didn't answer his call and while Stiles had still asked him to find and help him, he had failed him. After gym, he went and sent a text to Deaton asking if he had anything new to help them with what was going on in the town but he responded that he had nothing yet.

Kira had been trying to get a hold of Scott all day. She had heard about what had happened to his friend Stiles and wanted to see how he was doing. She finally found him coming out of the locker room. "Scott!" she called out to him. But Scott didn't seem to hear her. He just kept walking off like he was in another world.

"He's a little preoccupied." Kira turned over and saw Derek Hale moving for her. "But I could help you."

"Why would you want to help me?" she asked him.

"Because, I want you to tell me everything that happened at the power station with William Barrow. Actually, I want you to show me."

* * *

Isaac and Allison were over in the history classroom showing Mr. Yukimura the voicemail that Allison was given over her phone. They hoped he might be able to translate and make sense of it for them. He listened to it calmly but Allison could tell from the look in his eyes that he understood what it was.

"You're right," he told them. "It's Japanese. Who left this on your phone?"

Allison shook her head. "I don't know. All the messages are the same and they all say Blocked ID."

"Can you translate it?" Isaac asked him.

"Mostly. The man speaking is giving instructions actually. The first line is: All evacuees are required to stay at least ten feet back from outside fences."

Isaac and Allison shared a confused look.

"What does that mean? What fences?" Isaac asked.

"The fences around the Japanese Internment Camp during World War II," Mr. Yukimura explained. "After Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were rounded up and put into camps. This man is reading instructions to prisoners upon their arrival." He then handed Allison her phone back.

"But where does something like this even come from?" she asked.

"I have no idea, because it's fake." That made Allison and Isaac narrow their eyes. "It mentions the name of the internment camp as Oak Creek. There was no internment camp named Oak Creek in California."

All of this only made everything they were dealing with all the more confusing.

* * *

Derek was being led by Kira through the empty power station as she was taking them towards where Barrow had her though Kira was still lost a bit on why. They finally made it to some generators behind steel cages.

"It was around here I think," Kira said as she looked around. "But everything kind of looks the same now." The last time, she hadn't exactly been eager to take the place in.

Derek then held his hand up and stopped them. "Hold on," he mumbled.

He was picking up a familiar scent. It was Stiles' scent. The two of them then noticed a streak in the middle of the floor. It moved off like a trail and led to an open cage where they saw something was stuck on one of the generators.

Kira's eyes narrowed at it. "What is that? Is that a baseball bat?"

It was. And one that Derek had seen before. "It's Stiles' bat," he told her. He moved over and tried to take it off the wall to see that it was stuck, tight. He put a little more strength into it and then managed to pull it off. He realized what had happened. "It's magnetized." Derek then noticed the scratches at the end of it and looked back at the streak on the floor. He put down at the edge and slowly ran it along the path of the streak and when it got to the end, it flew right back and got stuck to the generator. Derek's eyes widened as he stared at it and he then looked back at the equally stunned girl. "Kira, I need you to tell me everything you know about fox fire."

* * *

Lydia was standing with Scott but her mind seemed to be miles away. Every sound around her seemed to vibrate in her ear and be amplified. She actually flinched when someone closed their locker right next to them.

"You okay?" Scott asked her.

"Uh, yeah. Just a little hyper sensitive to loud sounds today." She then flinched when another locker shut closed across from them.

"My mom sent me a text a while ago. They're doing tests on Stiles all afternoon. I was going to go there around 6 to visit, you want to come with me?" he offered.

Lydia just looked down at the floor. "I should probably just go home." She almost jumped when another locker shut but this time, further down the hall.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Scott asked. He couldn't have another one of his friends suffering under his watch.

She just looked at him. "Yeah. I'll text you later." She then went off leaving Scott looking after her as she moved down the hall. As Lydia walked, it soon stopped being loud sounds she was reacting to. It became any sound nearby. Pounding sounds…and they seemed to be pounding in a rhythm.

* * *

Scott was moving through the hospital hallways and quickly spotted his mother and Stiles' father standing off to the side, talking. He noticed that neither one of them were dressed in their work clothes and they had mirrored glum looks on their faces.

"Hey," he called out to them. "Are the tests finished?"

His mother turned to him with her arms folded over her chest. "Uh, no sweetie, they still need to do one more. It's scheduled for tonight."

"Oh. Uh, can I talk to him?" he asked.

"No. He's taking a small rest now honey."

Scott let out a small sigh. "Do we know what's wrong yet?"

His mother looked back at the door where they could spot Stiles sleeping in his hospital bed through the door's window. "He has quite a few symptoms. Some that don't match up. We think that after tonight's test, we'll know for sure what is wrong with him."

"What test is there left for him to take then?" he asked her.

Melissa looked at Scott with an uncomfortable and slightly pained look. "They…he's going to be given an MRI."

Scott's eyes narrowed in confusion. "A brain scan? Why?"

She then looked over and caught the Sheriff's eyes. He let out a tired sigh before he straightened himself up. "They're going to see if he might have Frontal Temporal Dementia. It's…what his mother had."

Scott's face fell as he just stared blankly at him. He had known that Stiles' mother had been sick and died in the hospital but he never knew how and from what. "What's that?"

It was his mother who answered him. "It's a condition where the brain starts to deteriorate. Parts of it began to shrink and erode over time. It could cause a few mental afflictions and Stiles has been having some. Intense headaches, lapses of memory, insomnia, irritable and impulsive behavior as well as hallucinations are among them. It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers. And…there's no cure," she finished looking down to study her feet.

Scott started shaking his head. "No, that can't be. You said that this happens over time. Stiles is healthy as ever. He hasn't had any problems until-" But Scott froze right there.

"After that night," the Sheriff finished for him. When Stiles had become human again.

Melissa went to wipe a tear threatening to fall from her eye. "We did some blood work and it looks like Stiles' immune system is weaker than it should be. All of this, and especially last night, it's really been taxing on him honey. The other doctors can't make sense of it but I think all of us here can.

Yes, Scott could. Stiles suddenly getting weak and sick, it was because he had become human again. The bite had cured Scott's asthma for him making him breathe and do things normally. For Stiles, his ADHD all but disappeared and didn't have a problem focusing, even on several things at once. It looked like it had healed more than they thought and it looked like the shock of turning human again was actually taking a toll on him. Scott began to walk off to try and make sense of all the thoughts and feelings bouncing through his skull. Stiles had been suffering through all those waking dreams and hallucinations where he was having breakdowns. Then he was starting to lose sleep and begin thinking awful things about himself. And despite all of that, Stiles still kept on working hard to help with him regaining his control and saving Malia and Kira. But Scott just waved off what Stiles was going through as just being a little sleep deprived. Now, his friend was at the stage where he was nearly frozen to death and that he might very well have a terminal disease. More than ever, he wanted to go and talk to Stiles. The last thing he had ever said to his friend besides updating him on what happened at his house, was that he should go home and get some sleep. Just dismissing him. Scott couldn't have that. He wouldn't have that. He had to do something…and he could. There was one thing he could do for him, even though it was the last thing he wanted to happen to Stiles, again.

* * *

Derek stopped the van at Beacon Hills Memorial and he and Kira went to get out. But, only he was moving in for the hospital while Kira was lingering behind.

"I don't know if I should go in," she told him.

"Why not?" Derek asked.

"Because, well…you're going to tell Scott that Barrow might've used fox fire, created by me, to jumpstart the nogitsune's power inside Stiles."

"Yeah," he said as if he didn't see the problem.

"Basically, that I helped a dark spirit take control of his best friend."

Now Derek seemed to see the problem. "You should probably wait here."

Derek then left while Kira settled down and prepared to wait. He moved through the halls of the hospital and moved for the waiting area for the floor where he knew Stiles was. He quickly spotted Scott sitting there, alone, with his head bowed down as he examined the floor. Derek could smell the despair oozing out of him. He walked on over to him and Scott raised his head to look at him.

"Hey," he said glumly to him.

"Hey," Derek said back. "Are the tests finished?"

Scott shook his head. "No, they're about to run one more. They're…they're giving Stiles an MRI."

Derek's eyes widened. That kind of test wasn't given out lightly. "Why, what's wrong?"

* * *

Stiles was slowly walking on inside the MRI room in a hospital smock with Melissa's hand over his shoulder as she helped him inside.

"Melissa, really, I'm fine," he mumbled tirelessly to her.

She nodded. "I know. This is actually more for me than you."

Stiles let a small but sad smile loose and his hand that moved to Melissa's other hand and gave it a small squeeze which she returned with a sad smile of her own. As he sat at the edge of the machine, his father was standing off with the doctor going over the paperwork. The doctor was squinting as he read Stiles' name.

"How do you even pronounce that?" he asked.

The Sheriff sighed. They were used to people asking that question when it came to Stiles' name. "Just call him Stiles."

The doctor nodded. "Sign here," he said as he gave the clipboard over to him before turning to Stiles who was already moving to lay down as he still felt a little tired from his nap. "Okay, Stiles, during the test there's going to be a loud sound throughout the test. I can give you some earplugs if you like?"

Stiles shook his head from where it was laying. "It's fine. I'm used to tuning out sounds."

The Sheriff and Melissa shared a look as they understood the double meaning behind that.

The Sheriff went and grasped his hand. "We'll be just outside. Okay?"

Stiles returned the grip. "Okay."

The Sheriff and Melissa walked out with the doctor and began looking on in from the console room behind the glass. Stiles was still calmly laying on the slap as it was being wheeled into the machine. The light inside was kind of bright and he was squinting his eyes a bit.

"Okay Stiles," he heard the doctor speaking through the intercom. "This is going to take about 45 minutes to an hour. Just remember, try not to move." Stiles had been trying to get comfortable but stopped after that. He went to adjust his head. "Even just a little bit." Stiles stopped moving entirely. The doctor then started the machine up. "Okay, Stiles you're going to be hearing that noise now. It's going to be a loud clang. Kind of like a hammer hitting an anvil."

A moment later, Stiles started hearing that clanging sound. He tried to relax as he let the machine do his work.

On the other side of the glass, the people there were anything but relaxed. The machine began to slowly bring up a digital mapping of Stiles' brain. The doctor lowered his gaze when he looked at it and the Sheriff quickly noticed. He looked at it and couldn't help but feel a disturbing sense of dejavu.

After a moment, the doctor regained himself. "You see this," he said as he pointed to a section of the brain that was highlighted. "This tissue here and there…both those spots are showing signs of atrophy."

The Sheriff let out a hard breath as he kept his eyes on it. "Atrophy," he muttered.

He then shared a look with Melissa and knew that she was thinking the same thing. Stiles was terminally sick after all. And there was no hope for him to get better.

Inside the MRI, Stiles' eyes started to water. Even though the clanging sound was still going loud and strong, he could hear the word echo in his head. Atrophy, and it was sounding out in his dad's broken voice. As it echoed, he felt the banging pressure against his skull just like before along with some ringing. He couldn't move so he shut his eyes to try and push the pain away. He shut them as hard as he could as the pounding got harder and the ringing got louder until it all just stopped. He then opened his eyes to find that he wasn't laying in the machine but was standing up. Everything around him seemed darker all of a sudden. He then saw some movement at the corner of his eye and turned to just catch a shape moving around the MRI.

"Have you figured out my riddle yet?" Stiles knew that voice. The thing was back again. "Answer correctly…we might consider letting them go."

Stiles shook his head. "Let who go?"

It turned over to look at the window. "Your friends…your family." Stiles then turned to look and see his father standing with Melissa. "We're going to destroy all of them Stiles," it said a little joyously. "Everyone, one by one."

"Why?" Stiles cried.

"Why not?" That wasn't the thing. It came from the side. Stiles turned around and his eyes widened. It was Mr. Harris. He was standing there in his usual suit and haircut but Stiles could see that his throat was bloodied and there was a red gash at the side of his head. "It's not as if it would be the first time you've destroyed lives Mr. Stilinski, like mine," he said bitterly.

Stiles shook his head. "No…that wasn't me."

"Really?" Stiles gasped as he saw someone slowly walk into the room. It was Tara, dressed in her deputy uniform with blood running from the wound in her neck. "What about me? After everything I did for you growing up…you let me die."

Stiles started to cry harder. "I didn't. I wasn't there. I didn't know until it was too late. I would've stopped Jennifer if I knew," he cried out to her.

"Oh?" Stiles then turned around and saw two more people. He recognized them. They were the husband and his pregnant wife that Matt had killed. Both pale with blood all over their clothes. The husband stepped forward. "Like you did for me and my wife. Let our child become an orphan because you didn't stop our killer. You knew who our killer was and you let him go."

"No, I didn't let him go. I wanted to stop him!" Stiles shouted at him.

"But you didn't!" screamed his wife. "Because you went and just let your friend tell you what to do. My husband and I died, so that your so called best friend could have a night with his girlfriend in the back of a car."

"Because of Mr. McCall's stupidity, we had to pay the price," Harris said. "Though yours trumps his Mr. Stilinski. After all, like it's said in your so called #1 movie: The fool or the one that follows him, who's the bigger one? You knew what was the right thing to do but you just ducked your head, gave up and went along with McCall's decision. If you had done what you know should've been done, we would be alive right now."

"So would we."

Then behind the couple appeared were a handful of police officers. Stiles knew them. They were all the deputies that Matt and Jackson had killed at the station that night.

"But we're not," one of them spat.

"We're dead and our loved ones mourn us," said another deputy.

"Because of you!" shouted another.

"Just stop," Stiles cried as he turned away.

But he froze and his eyes widened. He was now looking at someone else. It was Heather. She was also pale and had blood all over her head and neck. As she did when he saw her on that metal slab in the morgue.

Heather shook her head. "They're wrong. It wasn't your fault Stiles. You tried, no, you fought to save me. You did everything in your power to try and stop me from dying. And when you didn't, you tried to stop my killer. It's isn't your fault. I don't blame you." She then went and put her pale and cold hand to his cheek lovingly and Stiles stared at her contently. "I blame Scott," she said softly. Stiles face fell a bit after that as he kept staring at her. "It's his fault. He's why I wasn't avenged." Suddenly Stiles looked up and saw all of Jennifer's victims appear together behind Heather. "Why we weren't avenged. That woman killed us all and Scott was just going to let her go. He wanted to let her free all so that he could keep his hands clean."

There was movement behind him and Stiles turned around to see all of Matt's victims standing together now.

"He's why we're all dead," said the husband. "To try and impress his girlfriend's psycho family."

"And now, he's why you will die," Heather said to him. "Because he hasn't and won't ever do the one thing that you know can and would save you and that you've tried to do all this time. It's why you didn't even bother to ask him, isn't it? Because, deep down, you know he still wants to make them think he's 'different'."

Next thing Stiles knew, the crowds of people were gone. In their place stood Erica and Boyd on either side of Cora. The three of them were standing there staring at him calmly but resolutely. Stiles was shaking a bit as he kept his unblinking eyes on them.

"We were tortured Stiles," Erica said to him. "Remember? Strung up and fried with electricity in his girlfriend's basement. And we were then forced to watch as her grandfather stabbed, beat and bled you in front of us. And what did your best friend do about that?"

Boyd answered. "Nothing. You're the one that saved yourself. Saved us. You've only ever tried to protect us. And Scott, he protects them? Befriends them? Our torturers and killers? He made Allison a part of the pack and kept her on even after she hunted all of us, both times. And he's a stone throw away from letting the twins in too. He's replacing you, with them."

"Just stop!" Stiles roared out with tears in his eyes.

Cora's face went into a vicious glare. "I lost my whole family," she spat. "For years I thought that I was all alone. With no place for me to really call home. You saw my pain…I thought you understood Stiles. That you cared."

Stiles shook his head a bit as he kept his teary eyes on Cora. "I do," he said with his voice cracked a bit. "I more than care."

Cora's glare disappeared and a tear began to fall from her eye. "Then how can you just stand by and let Scott pretend as if the Argents are allies? Worse, are friends. Chris Argent threatened and tried to kill Scott, Derek and you. Allison tried to kill you and my brother for stopping her crazy mother from killing Scott. They leave for the summer and suddenly its forgive and forget? You have to let them act like they didn't look the other way when Kate and Victoria did the things they did because Scott says so? Deep down, you know the only real reason that they stopped was because it was only two of them against all of us. But, when they get the chance, they'll hurt you. Hurt all of us. This is what Scott being the Alpha is supposed to mean. That anyone can try to hurt and kill or actually hurt and kill and Scott lets them off with a slap on the wrist."

His eyes blinked and he looked around and saw that everyone was gone. Well, not everyone. Stiles turned and saw the thing was back. "We can finally change that. They will finally pay. All of them will pay. Just like you know they should."

"No," Stiles shook his head. "Just go away. It's not true!"

"Really now?" it said in amusement. "We know better, deep down, don't we? You just go and agree along with Scott no matter how much it hurts you. It pains you...what he did. What he has done to us." Through the gauze, the thing's teeth were arched as if it was smiling.

Stiles suddenly had images of the Argents and their hunters attacking them, trying to kill his friends. Then he saw Scott trying to talk Derek into not killing Peter because of Allison's family, saw him work with Gerard, argue with him about trusting the Argents, turn and leave him to go with Deucalion. He saw Scott let Gerard go. Then he saw Scott turn away from Jennifer to let her go. Him letting Deucalion go. Scott grabbing him by the shoulder to let Allison go. After everything they each did and tried to do to them. To him. A flash of searing anger filled Stiles as he saw all of it.

Stiles felt the pressure in his head returning. "How?" he said through it. "How can you know that?"

It started to tear the bandages off its face. "Everyone has it but no one can lose it! What is it?!"

"I don't know," Stiles mumbled as he increased the pressure on his head.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it!"

"I don't know!" Stiles shouted.

The bandages fell completely off. "What is it Stiles?"

Stiles' eyes opened as he realized that the voice was familiar. He heard it every time he opened his mouth. His eyes fell upon the darkness in front of him being cast by the light behind him. The same darkness that he remembered that it's hand sprout out of before. He realized the answer to all of his questions. "A shadow," he whispered.

He then turned around as the thing straightened up. It was him. He stared back at his own face staring back at him with a gleeful smirk on him. It was the face of a strong, confident and darker version of himself. Stiles felt all of his own strength and resolve melt away at the sight.

Stiles' eyes then opened to find himself back in the MRI but his eyes weren't their usual honey brown color. They weren't even his shifted gold color. They were pitch black. That was because the one seeing through them wasn't Stiles. It was the nogitsune who lived over 1,000 years of time and had gone through countless names. But, he would now be called what he truly was. Void. He was Void. He took in everything and saw that he now had full reign of this body now. There was no diverting of his strength and power for quelling the resistance of a determined teenage boy and his guardian mutt. The boy was broken and the mongrel had been fully sealed away so that it could never interfere. He then let his power extend to start the beginning of his next trick.

The lights in the MRI room and console room began to flicker before they went out. It happened for a moment before they all came back on.

"What was that?" Melissa asked as she looked around.

"It looked like a power surge," the doctor said as he looked equally as confused.

But the Sheriff stiffened as he looked back into the room. "Where's my son?"

The other two looked into the room also and saw that Stiles was now gone.

* * *

As Lydia was driving, she was starting to hear that pounding sound from before. She shook her head and turned up the volume of her radio up. But it did very little to stop the banging sound. If anything, it only got louder. It kept growing louder and louder until it drowned out the music entirely. Lydia pulled over to the side and then covered her ears to try and drown it out but it was just too loud. Too much. She then let go of her ears and then screamed.

* * *

In the waiting area, Derek had been made to sit across from Scott as he listened to everything that they had learned about Stiles' condition. Derek had to admit that Stiles' past wasn't as simple as he had thought since he first met the energetic, eager and sarcastic teen.

"I knew Stiles was having problems but I didn't think it was this bad," Derek breathed out.

"You're not the only one," Scott mumbled.

"Scott, you can't blame yourself. It's not as if you haven't been dealing with your own problems lately."

"But I should've known something was wrong. I should've seen it," he said rubbing at the bottom of his jaw. "Do you think that him being cured might've done this?"

"I don't know. When I went away, I'd gone through some old family contacts about what happened to Stiles. They all said the same thing. Once you're bitten, you can never be unbitten. No one's ever heard of anyone turning back to human after they'd changed."

"So that's why you left? To try and find out what happened to Stiles?"

"No, there was another reason I left but the reason why I've been away for so long actually was because of Cora."

"Your sister? Where is she?"

"Well, Beacon Hills wasn't her home anymore. She didn't want to stay here, and I understood but I wasn't going to just let her go somewhere and not make sure she wasn't safe. Which was a good thing because…it looked like something happened to her recently and she needed my help with it."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "What? What happened to her?"

Derek kept his gaze on Scott. While it was agreed that the less people that knew, the better, Derek knew that he could trust Scott. But, with everything that was going on with Stiles right now, maybe now wouldn't be the best time to tell anyone the truth about Cora. The two of them, and Peter, had been on the trail for his mother's claws when Cora was starting to get sick, which was a concern given what had happened to her because of Jennifer. Derek wouldn't move on unless Cora was checked. They found a doctor and it was found out that Cora wasn't ill, she was pregnant. It didn't take Derek long after that revelation to know that the father had to be Stiles, given how the two of them were when they all left Beacon Hills. Peter was shocked but was happy, in a way that Derek hadn't remembered seeing him in years. He argued that Cora's child was the best chance for their family's legacy to live on. His uncle then stressed that Cora had to be away from them in their mission as not to risk her and the child. Especially after they learned that the Calaveras had the claws. The unborn child of a werewolf from a long standing family like theirs and an emerging Beast would no doubt make Cora a highly sought target for hunters and even other packs. He also saw that Cora seemed…brighter as well. As for coming back to Beacon Hills, Derek didn't know if he would be able to keep himself from mauling Stiles the moment he set his eyes on him for just touching let alone knocking up his younger sister. Now, with Stiles' condition, it wasn't the right time to either bring it up or act on it.

"It's not important right now," Derek grumbled. "Maybe after we get through this first, then I'll probably tell you."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, but I don't see how we're going to get through this. Stiles, the Oni, the nogitsune. I don't know where to start in trying to fix any of this."

"Well I'll help any way I can."

Scott started to rub his hands together. "You remember when you were teaching me about chemo signals? It reminded me of the time that you tried showing me to use anger for controlling the shift."

A small amused smirk found its way to Derek. "Uh, I think you ended up teaching me more about that."

It found its way to Scott. "Can you teach me again?"

"Think of it more like…trade secrets. Listen, remember I said that Cora was the reason I've been away but not the reason I left. I felt that I needed to talk to my mother."

"Your dead mother?"

Derek nodded. "She told me something that, changed my perspective on a lot of things. She said that my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills, they protected it. And this town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you. You and your friends."

Scott sighed. He didn't feel like he was off to a great start. "And someone like you to teach a few trade secrets." Scott then froze for a moment as something suddenly hit him. He then stood up quickly making Derek narrow his eyes. "He was trying to protect us," Scott realized aloud. "Stiles, he was protecting us."

"From himself. He was trying to warn us." Derek realized that Stiles must've been trying to put everything he had into his struggle. Both to try and fight against the nogitsune, and to send out the chemo signals because he knew that they would sense it. They both ran up to the roof where they had felt the chemo signals from him. "What exactly are we looking for?" Derek asked as they moved about on the roof.

"I don't know. But, I don't think Stiles was just struggling with himself. I think he was struggling not to do something."

Scott looked around when he noticed that there were some crates set up next to the cage around the generator. Like a kind of stool. Scott moved to stand on it and was able to reach the top. He moved his hand around to see if there was anything there and felt something. He pulled on it and revealed it to be a bag full of tools and equipment. Scott and Derek then looked around until they noticed the tampered wire. One that was already sparking. Scott quickly jumped away and the two of them tried to move to warn the hospital but they only got a few feet away before the sparks started shooting out and the generator began to blow.

* * *

The lights inside the hospital were now dead and only the emergency ones were now on. People were in a panic as they ran off to try and make sense of the chaos. The only one in the whole building that was calm was Void as he got accustomed to having complete control of his new vessel without any sign of resistance whatsoever. He was calmly putting on the clothes that the Sheriff had brought over for his son and had finished tying his shoes before he went off to enjoy the chaos that he had wrought. He was heading for the elevator when the doors of it opened. He stopped when he saw that there was a woman standing there, staring at him just as calmly as he was staring back at her. One that both he and his host recognized. Mrs. Yukimura. Void started to move closer to her with a dark look on his face.

"You know me?" she asked. Void nodded. "Then you remember that I won't be deterred by your choice of host, even if it is an innocent boy."

Void let a smirk slide onto his face. "Are you threatening us?"

At that moment, two Oni materialized at either side of her and Void's eyes widened, but his expression was still one of amusement.

"Now I'm threatening you," she told him.

Void nodded his head down and began to chuckle as he stared down at the ground. "Oh, then let us warn you," he said before he raised his head back up. His smirk had widened and his dark eyes seemed to shine in the low lighting. He then quickly raised both of his hands up and two purple sparks flew out and for the Oni. Mrs. Yukimura ducked her head as the Oni were hit and let out deep clicking hiss sounds as they were struck before they vanished in puffs of black smoke. She then looked down to find two fireflies at either side of her. Their lights flickered a few times before they died out and they vanished. "This choice of host isn't a shield. He is a sword and it will cut deeper than yours ever could. Your little fireflies won't help you stop us."

Mrs. Yukimura let a shocked but angry look appear on her face just before the nogitsune turned away to leave in a different route. "If the Oni won't stop you, I know someone who can," she cried at him.

Void stopped and looked over at her. His smirk deepened. Then, he kept walking.

* * *

On the roof, Scott and Derek kept watching as the generator kept firing sparks all over the place before the cut wire finally severed itself fully. It began to fly off and out of control while shooting sparks at its end. Down below, the people were starting to run in a panic. One of them was Kira, who was standing still and watching in horror as the wire went flying for her direction.


	13. Letharia Vulpina

Chapter 13: Letharia Vulpina

Off in the countryside of Japan, a Yakuza boss named Ikeda was looking out of his porch towards the city. It looked like a beautiful night, which he thought was poetic for the terrible one he was experiencing. He took a drink from his glass before he started to pace back inside his home. He looked towards his men who were sitting in the room, all looking towards the sick white wolf laying in the middle of the room. His pride and joy. The sight of him being so still made his grip on his glass tighten.

"What is taking so long?" he said out to the room.

"The doctor is on his way," said his man closest to the wolf. "He comes highly recommended."

Ikeda huffed as he went and set his glass down on one of his credenzas and picked up the hand gun lying on it. "Did I ask for a professional reference?" he said stomping for the man making him stand up and look nervously at the gun in his hand. The others in the room stood nervously too. "I asked why it was taking so long? That is a question of time, not quality of service! Do you think I would pay for an idiot to look at him?"

The man quickly shook his head and bowed to him. "No Ikeda-sama."

"Can any of you idiots tell me why he hasn't moved in 12 hours?" Ikeda spat at them all but they stayed silent. "No, then where the hell is the doctor?!"

Just then, a gong rang and interrupted his rant. Everyone looked over towards the doors as they began to slide open where two attendants stood on either side of Alan Deaton. In his hands was a leather bag and he was calmly showed in.

Deaton faced and then bowed to Ikeda. He began to address Ikeda in Japanese and he apologized for the late arrival.

"Apologize if you can't do anything," Ikeda grumbled to him. Deaton began to step up closer to his animal. "Have you worked with wolves before?" he asked the vet.

Deaton looked from the wolf to Ikeda and gave him a small grin. "Here and there." He then bent down and began to go for his supplies. "And what's our patient's name?"

"Yuki," Ikeda breathed to him.

"Hello Yuki," Deaton said to the animal as he began to get his gloves on. He then began to give him a closer look. "Now, what have you gotten yourself into, my friend?" He began to analyze Yuki's fur and eyes as Ikeda and Yakuza men watched on. He then went to his snout and lifted his lips up to get a good look at the gums. Deaton's eyes narrowed. "Has Yuki been around any unusual plants?" he asked Ikeda as he knelt down to look himself. "Something that looks like moss? It would be bright green, almost like neon." At that, Ikeda and all of his men started to share nervous and uncomfortable looks. "It's called lichen. It's highly toxic. I need to know if Yuki has consumed any."

Ikeda swallowed nervously. "If he has the poison then, just treat him."

But Deaton shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't. Not without knowing the species. I need a sample."

Ikeda bit back his discomfort and stood up to face his men. "It's in the garden, Shigeki, take him," he said to the man closest to him. But his man just stayed rooted to the floor. In fact, all of his men stayed rooted to the floor and tried to avoid having any eye contact with Ikeda. He started to go off at each of them, cursing and spitting at them in Japanese as they still kept themselves from trying to look at him. No one wanted to go into the garden even with the gun in his hand. "Superstitious idiots," he spat before he looked over at Deaton and gestured for him to go with him. He would lead Deaton to the garden himself.

"Thank you," he muttered as he followed after him.

They entered the entrance to the garden where there was a large steel door. Ikeda took out a large key and went to open it. Deaton then stepped into what was a large zen garden. It looked like no one had really been in here for years from the amount of dust layering and vines that were growing about. Deaton kept his calm while Ikeda seemed frightened with each step he took inside. They walked on ahead to where there was an old fountain that was completely overtaken by neon, green moss. They stopped just before the fountain.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Ikeda asked him.

Deaton knew that this was indeed the place. The site that Chris Argent had spoken about. Where the Oni had attacked the Yakuza before and slayed the nogitsune possessing the Komicho.

Deaton went over placed his bag on the fountain and reached in for a vial. "Hold this please," he asked as he held the vial out to Ikeda. He took it and Deaton went for some tongs and scissors.

"You really think Yuki came in here? Ate this stuff?" Ikeda asked as he tried to fight himself against shivering.

Deaton went and cut himself a sample. "Actually, I think Yuki doesn't come near here. I doubt if you could even drag him in," he said as he went to hold the moss closer to get a better look. "Some part of him probably senses what happened here…to your father and the nogitsune possessing him." A second after he finished saying that, a gun was pointed directly at the back of his head. Ikeda switched the safety off but Deaton didn't even flinch as he kept his eyes on the moss. "This particular lichen is called Letharia Vulpina, wolf lichen. They used it to poison wolves and foxes. They would put out pieces of meat with crushed glass and bits of lichen in it. The glass perforated the intestines of the animals so the vulpinic acid could reach the internal organs faster."

Ikeda wasn't interested in historical trivia though. "What did you do to my wolf?" he demanded with his hand holding the gun shaking a bit.

"Oh, I didn't poison him with lichen. But, I did give him a powerful paralytic agent. The same one I put on that jar."

Ikeda started blinking before he looked at the jar he was still holding in his bare hand. He tried to let it go but his hand seemed to be stuck. He moved to try and shoot Deaton but he couldn't pull the trigger. Instead, the gun fell out of his hand. "Kanima," he gasped.

Deaton was still kneeling there calmly. "I guess we both know things Ikeda-san." Ikeda then fell down, stiff as a board. Deaton went over and removed the bottle from him and uncapped it to place his lichen sample into it. "Born out of the blood of a nogitsune, this lichen is quite special. More powerful than you know."

"What, what are you going to use it for?" Ikeda gasped out.

Deaton kept his eyes on the bottle. In the moonlight, he saw the reflection of a face. The face of a certain young man from back in Beacon Hills. One whose unheard of condition boggled him until the news of the Oni reached him. Only then did he make sense of what had happened to him. "There's a fox hiding inside a teenage boy, and I am going to poison it."

* * *

Chaos. That was the absolute perfect description for what was happening outside the hospital. It was utter chaos. Everyone in front of the hospital was running, being horrified when they saw the explosion and sparks flying around but Kira was frozen stiff.

"Oh my god," she cried as she saw a massive sparking power cable flying off and heading in her direction.

She ducked as it flew over her but the cord circled around and was heading right back at her. An ambulance was moving in and the cord managed to connect with the windshield which made the driver divert the car and just miss Kira by inches as it drove into the sidewalk, knocking over a hydrant and causing water to start shooting upward.

Allison and Isaac were driving for the hospital to check on Stiles when they pulled in to find themselves in the middle of all the madness. Allison got out just in time to see that there was a whole lot of water spilling out into the street from the broken hydrant. She then saw the sparking cord falling into the water and sparks shooting throughout the puddle. She heard the sound of a door opening and saw that it was the ambulance's EMT getting out of the driver's seat, and the puddle was moving for him.

"Look out!" she screamed at him.

"Everyone get back!" Kira tried calling out in the street.

But the EMT stepped into it and he instantly became shocked by the voltage and fell flat to the ground. Allison was about to run to try and help him so she didn't see that the puddle was moving for her as well. Isaac quickly saw it and moved to push her.

"Allison," he said as he jumped in and grabbed her. He threw her out of the way but ended up getting hit by the water instead. The voltage poured into his body and made him stiffen and fidget where he stood.

"Isaac!" Allison screamed before she saw him fell flat to the ground himself.

A woman stuck in a car managed to get out and step out onto the water as well and was electrocuted herself. One driver was so distracted by everything that he didn't see that he was heading right for Kira. Kira gasped and then found herself jumping onto the hood of the car and running up the windshield to the roof before flipping away back to the street. Kira landed on her feet and took a moment to wonder just how she even was able to do that. Scott and Derek were running out of the entrance of the hospital and came across all the chaos that was going on. Scott was going to keep running but Derek went and thrust his arm out to stop him before they could run out into the water. The cord was still thrashing around violently with sparks dancing off at the end of it. Kira went to it and then grabbed it by the end. She looked at the sparks and then went to cover it with her hand. The electricity began to flow into her but she was getting shocked. In fact, she seemed to be completely calm. She was breathing calmly as she stopped the wire from doing more harm. Scott and Derek were watching her as she opened her eyes to reveal that they were glowing. Glowing a bright orange color. She then let the cord go after it was drained of power.

Scott was frozen in place as he watched the color shine in Kira's eyes before it faded away. It looked like she had gone and somehow absorbed the power into herself. Scott knew that he couldn't do that. Yet, even though the wire wasn't causing more harm, the damage had been done. People were running out of the hospital in panic, among them, Mrs. Yukimura who noticed Kira standing in the middle of the puddle with the wire smoking at her side.

Derek ran off from Scott and moved to where Isaac was laying on the ground. "Isaac," he said shaking him. But Isaac wasn't moving. He checked his pulse and Derek's eyes widened. "He's not breathing. Scott!" he shouted snapping Scott from his daze. "He's not breathing!"

A few blocks away, Void Stiles was overlooking all the chaos with a smile on his face. The screams and panicked cries of the people hummed through his ears like music. He took a moment to close his eyes and he then inhaled deeply as if it was a sweet perfume that was drifting through the air. He then let out a relieved breath as he felt more invigorated than ever. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He then went and dialed for the operator.

"Yes, I need to be connected with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," he said politely but happily.

It was time for him to begin the next phase of his plan. One that will create a well-spring of strife.

* * *

Scott was lying on his bed, not truly having the energy to try and get up. He hadn't had much energy to do anything as of late, which was fitting as he felt he hadn't been able to do even remotely helpful. His mind started to drift back to other night. Isaac had been sent to Intensive Care to be treated for internal damage and heavy electrical burns. He had also stumbled upon Kira and her mother as she told Kira that she saw what she did and that they couldn't let anyone else know and they then left and he hadn't seen her since. She wasn't the only one. Stiles was also missing as was his jeep. His father had also arrived at the hospital and surveyed the damage and he found the wire and saw that it was cut. It was official, Stiles had caused all of that. He was possessed by the Nogitsune and had been behind all the recent accidents and problems that had been hitting Beacon Hills. Derek had told him that he needed to tell Stiles' dad what was really happening but Scott didn't want to. He felt that he was going through enough with both Stiles' health and his disappearance.

He finally managed to pick himself out of bed and move downstairs where he found his mother was just sitting and staring off into space. "Any news?" he tried asking.

She let out a deep breath. "They're still looking for him. It's passed the 48 hour mark but, I guess if anyone is going to go missing for two days and turn up just fine, it's Stiles."

"What about Isaac?"

She then moved to get up. "Maybe we should go by the hospital, before school?"

Scott nodded. He hadn't gone to see Stiles yet as he had been trying to find Stiles all of yesterday but had no luck finding him anywhere.

* * *

Sheriff Stilinski was sitting at his desk, just looking at the message he got back at his phone early yesterday from Stiles. It had asked that he not go looking for him and that he was fine and would be back soon. But, he couldn't do that. His son wasn't fine. He still might not be well versed in all of this supernatural stuff but he knew that Stiles was the opposite of fine. If he was, he wouldn't be missing.

His thoughts were interrupted when Parrish knocked on his door. "Sheriff?" Parrish asked finally drawing his eyes from the message.

"Yeah?"

"He just needs your signature," he said before pointing to a delivery man behind him with a few packages.

"What is it?"

"It's just printer cartridges and stuff. Batteries for the next blackout," Parrish told him as he reached for the clipboard. "Not a bad idea given the number of electrical problems in this town."

As the Sheriff finished signing off on them, there was another knock before Agent McCall showed himself in.

"I know you're a bit preoccupied at the moment," McCall said to him.

But the Sheriff just nodded and gestured for him to come in and nodded to Parrish to give them a minute. "What is it?" he asked McCall.

"I know this might sound strange, but, have you had issues with Yakuza?"

The Sheriff narrowed his eyes. "You mean Japanese Mafia?"

"Specifically with a guy named Katashi. Or Silverfinger as he's called."

He shook his head. "Can't say I have, why?"

"I just got a call for the Bureau. Apparently, Katashi and his men had set up office at a warehouse a few miles outside the city."

"And you need my precinct's help to bring them in?" he guessed.

But McCall shook his head. "Not quite. But I will need some help in following an anonymous tip that was given and then verified by forensics."

* * *

Scott and his mother got to the hospital and quickly found Allison sitting in the waiting area, with her head leaning on the wall. Scott moved over to her and gently put his hand to her shoulder to stir her awake.

"Have you been here all night?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she muttered. "They won't let me see him because I'm not family. I told them that he doesn't have any."

"Well, he's got us," Melissa said. She then reached into her pocket. "And I've got a keycard." She then led him to his room and opened the door for them. "Be quick," she told them.

Scott and Allison walked into the room where Isaac was in the center off. He was laying on a gurney surrounded by machines and he wasn't moving a muscle. At the sight, Allison went to take Scott by the hand. Scott looked down at their hands before looking back up at her. This feeling, of them holding onto each other, it had been so long since they had done this but it was so familiar. Scott found himself returning her grip with his own gentle one. He then led them off to get closer but Isaac didn't even react when they got to his side. From the looks of things, he looked exactly the same as he did when he was first taken in.

"I thought he would be healing by now," Allison said as she looked him over.

"So did I." Scott then looked down at Isaac's scarred arm and reached for it.

"Is he in pain?" Allison asked him.

Scott nodded. He could feel the great pain that Isaac was in even though he was so still. Scott then remembered what happened when Stiles had pulled pain from Isaac before, and even from him, to try and jumpstart and give power to their healing. Scott immediately started to do that and that actually made Isaac react. He started to jolt a bit as the pain he was feeling started to not be pulled into Scott, but bombard its way into him. Scott was almost overwhelmed with how much pain flowed into him. He quickly pulled away from Isaac as he settled back in the bed as he was before.

Scott then took hold of his hand as he tried to get his breathing back under control. "It won't heal him but it helps."

Allison went over to rub at his hand to try and soothe Scott from the pain he had just pulled. "Did Stiles really do this? Has he really been doing everything happening in town." She knew that Stiles had a vicious side but couldn't really believe that he would go on and do things like this.

But Scott quickly shook his head. "Whatever's controlling him did it. Whatever's inside of him." This wasn't Stiles. The guy he knew, his best friend, would never do these things. It was hard to even place his face as the one underneath the hood of the one that Scott had chased through the woods and struck him with that foxfire as he laughed at it all.

"Then how do we get whatever's inside of him the hell out of him before more people get hurt or killed?" she said almost shouting.

Scott sighed. "I'm working on it." And he would find a way. He had before for someone that he didn't even like. He would definitely find something for someone who was the closest thing he had to a brother.

Allison took her free hand and put it on his shoulder and Scott went and reached for it with his other hand as closed his eyes to try and steady himself for what he was to deal with.

Laying there, in a dim part of Isaac's mind, he could hear Scott and Allison's voices and could feel that the two of them were right at each other's side. He then started feeling a different sort of pain.

* * *

Derek was in his room, trying to review anything in his books on nogitsunes to try and find something to help stop this one, when his head shot up. His ears were picking up movement from inside his loft and he was supposed to be the only one here right now. He made his way downstairs, quickly but alert. He took a sniff in the air but didn't find any new scents or any new traces of scents that he recognized. He got to the bottom of the stairs and noticed that the sliding door was slightly ajar. He quickly went for it and thrust it open. Derek didn't find anyone there, but he looked down to see that stabbed into the ground, was an emitter. He glared at it and let an angry huff loose from his nose. He then went and yanked it out.

* * *

When Scott got to school, he quickly went to find Kira. She was his best bet in finding a way to help Stiles. She had been reading up on kitsune lore so she had to know something about stopping the nogitsune.

"I'm sorry, I don't know much," she said when he asked him as they were heading for the locker room. "But you see, in all of the stories, kitsune are tricksters. They're mischievous. They don't really get caught up in right or wrong, or even understand it."

Scott shook his head. "What's that mean? It's causing all of this trouble just for the hell of it?" he asked in disbelief.

But Kira shook her own head. "No. Something else I found, if you somehow offend a nogitsune, it can react pretty badly."

"How do you offend a nogitsune?'

"I don't know. But, if it's doing something this bad, then someone really, really, offended it."

Scott wondered who that someone was and what they even did to cause all of this trouble to come into their lives. He kept running through all the possible scenarios in his mind but nothing seemed to make sense to him. It kept going until he got to the locker room where Coach blew the whistle to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up!" he shouted out to the room. "Anyone catches the slightest glimpse of Stilinski, you contact the first available teacher, got it?" But the room was silent. "Got it?!" he spat again.

"Yes Coach," everyone sounded off.

He nodded before he pointed to his office. "There's a card on my desk for Isaac Lahey, and every one of you losers is not only going to sign it, you're going to write a personal message so profound and deep, it's going to bring a tear to Coach's eye," he said tapping at the bottom of his eye lid with a pen. He then held it out. "Who's first? Huh?" Danny was the first to get up and reach for it. "Yeah, Danny, that's how you do it buddy. Keep it PG."

Across the room, Scott was over with Ethan and Aiden as they went to him to tell him how their search went. It didn't go as well as his did.

"No Stiles. No demonic ninjas," grumbled Ethan.

Aiden shook his head. "Things are getting too quiet."

"Yeah, I know. It's making me nervous too." It had been two days since the terror at the hospital and there hadn't been any more signs of tragic accidents or spontaneous craziness popping up. Scott knew that wasn't a good sign.

But then there was some kind of beeping sound. One that was very familiar to Scott's ears.

"Do you guys hear that?" Ethan asked them.

"It's an emitter," he told them. "One of Argent's."

The three of them then moved off to try and track where it was coming from. The suddenly found where the center of it was and stopped but they found that the sound was from below them.

"It's in the basement," Ethan said.

The three of them moved down for the basement as the emitter's sound was growing louder the deeper they went. When they got to the bottom of the landing, they quickly found the source of signal.

Standing off at the other end of the corridor, was Stiles. He was facing away from them, with his head down and his hands spread out. One of them holding the activated emitter. He then rose his head up with his eyes shining in the darkness before he slowly turned to face them all. Stiles held his hands up. "Okay, I know what you guys are thinking, but it's me," he said to them softly. "I swear to god it's me."

While Scott felt his heart getting lighter at the sight of his best friend, the twins felt their hearts burn. They both quickly shifted and ran at him, together. Stiles quickly dropped the emitter just before both Ethan and Aiden got a hand to his throat and slammed him to the wall.

"Wait, stop!" Scott cried out to them as they went to lift Stiles by the throat. But the twins didn't let go. "I said stop!"

Scott then went and grabbed Ethan by the scruff of his sweatshirt and threw him back into the opposite wall. That made Aiden let go and drop Stiles as he moved to growl at Scott before Scott went and answered back with a hard growl of his own. Aiden seemed to snap out of his rage and took a step back. Scott then turned over to face Stiles who was staring at him tensely.

"It's me," he muttered to Scott. "I swear, it's me. I don't know where I've been or what I've been doing the last two days but it's me."

"Yeah, and we're just supposed to believe you?" Aiden said breathlessly at him before he turned to Scott. "He could be lying."

"I'm not, I swear I'm not Scott," Stiles said shaking his head. "You have to believe me."

Scott flashed his red eyes at him. He kept his gaze on Stiles who was staring back at him softly. "I believe you," he told him.

"Scott!" Aiden shouted at him.

"It's him," Scott told him. "It's Stiles. Use your eyes. When I fought the nogitsune that night, he was letting out this thick aura. It's like Kira's, only…darker. Derek said that young ones can't hide it and Stiles doesn't have any sign of it around him."

Aiden focused his blue eyes on Stiles, as did Ethan from the floor, and they saw that Stiles was clean.

"It's me," Stiles breathed.

Scott then went over and gave Stiles a strong hug which Stiles eagerly returned.

"Do you know what happened at the hospital?" Ethan spat as he picked himself up.

"I know more than that." Stiles then went over to a bag sitting in the corner and took out a piece of paper from inside it and held it out to them. "See this? It's a blueprint of the hospital's electrical wiring." He then unfolded and flattened it before he started pointing at the marks made on it. "See all the markings in red? That's my handwriting. I know that I did this…I caused the accident," he muttered with his voice slightly cracking. Scott gave his friend a look at that. Stiles then turned his gaze away and back to the bag. "Everything in this bag, is all part of something that might be bigger."

Ethan reached in and pulled out a power saw. "What the hell have you been up to?"

He shook his head. "I think something worse. A lot worse."

Scott took the bag to a table and they started to go through everything while Stiles paced a bit to the side. They pulled out metal cords, rope, pliers and a whole barrage of tools that didn't seem to match.

"What the hell were you doing? Building a terminator?" Ethan asked as surveyed everything.

"Thank you for that," Aiden grunted out to him.

But Scott was unfolding another paper that was found in the bag. "Guys, this is a map." Scott saw that it wasn't just any map, it was one of the Preserve.

Ethan looked over at it. "Wait, isn't that the cross country trail?" he said with his finger following a line in red that was made no doubt by Stiles.

He stopped at an area that Stiles had marked. Scott's eyes widened at it. "That's the Tate car. Where Malia Tate's family died."

Stiles nodded as he looked down at the map. "And that's where her father laid the steel jawed traps."

"Coach is taking the class out there right now," Aiden reminded them.

At that, the air left Scott's lungs. "We need to move. We have to get there now."

Scott then broke into a run as the twins and Stiles ran off after him. Stiles had fallen behind them all, so they didn't see a slight glimmer of black come across his eyes before they blinked back to honey brown.

* * *

Lydia was moving for her next class when she spotted her mother down the hall, and she wasn't alone. Lydia's eyes widened when she saw that she was talking, with Peter Hale. As they talked, Peter tilted his head a bit and seemed to look right over at her. Lydia then broke into a fast paced walk to them but Peter had already headed on out when she finally got there.

"Why were you talking to him?" Lydia asked her mother.

Her mom shook her head. "Because he started talking to me. He's from the Health Department."

Lydia wanted to roll her eyes. "Oh really? That's what he said."

"Yes. Really, they're scheduling hearing tests for the students."

"Hearing tests? He was talking about hearing?" From what Lydia knew of Peter Hale, there was always something behind everything he did. He never made a move that wasn't relevant and small talk, about hearing of all things, had to mean something.

"Yes, hearing," her mother said as she was blissfully unaware of who and what was really going on. "I guess we should sign you up. He gave me his card."

Lydia went and took it from her. One look and she really was rolling her eyes. "Mom, this is a piece of paper with a phone number written on it."

Her mother then started smiling. "I know. Still got it." She then walked off with that smile seemingly stuck to her face.

Lydia watched her head off before she sighed and then crumbled the paper in her hands. Something told her that Peter may have talked to her mother, but the message was meant for her. She needed help. She went to go find Allison.

* * *

Chris Argent was on his way to his apartment after leaving the elevator when he froze. The door was open and judging from some markings on the side and molding, it was broken into. Chris went for his gun and moved on in. He was thankful that Allison hadn't been home since that night in the hospital so she was as far away from here as possible. He quietly entered and started to go room by room until he got to his office. He pushed the door open slightly and immediately caught one of his emitters jammed into his desk. He checked the room and it seemed that it was clear as he headed over for his desk.

"Lose something?"

Chris then turned around but his arm was grabbed and he dropped his gun. He grit his teeth as his arm practically felt a stronger heated burn than usual due to his old injury to it. He then felt claws grazing his throat just as he pulled out his spare gun and brought it to the side of Derek Hale's head.

"Why are you breaking into my apartment?" Chris asked him angrily.

"Why are you leaving emitters in my loft?" Derek asked him just as angrily.

Chris shook his head. "I have no idea why that would be in your loft." He then pointed the gun away from Derek's head and Derek then went and loosened his grip on Chris enough for him to move away towards his desk. "I spent the entirety of the last two days trying to find Stiles."

"Any luck?"

"No."

"Me either," Derek said as he glared at Chris who was glaring back at him. "Okay, we're both trying to find Stiles. Mind me asking what you plan to do when you find him?" he asked a little testily.

"I guess that depends on which Stiles I find," he said as he went to yank the emitter out of his desk.

But Derek kept the glare on him. "Is that so?" he said making Chris look back up at him. "Because, last time I checked, you weren't exactly fond of the Stiles we all know as it is." He then started to pace off. "I can't help but wonder…maybe there's some part of you that must be relieved with this."

"And why would I be relieved by any of this?" Chris asked defensively.

Derek turned his head to face him. Derek knew how the hunter liked to work. He had plenty of personal experience when it came to Chris Argent and how he stuck with his 'code'. "Because now, you can justify paying him back for his little souvenir."

Derek's narrowed eyes then went to Chris' arm and Chris went to look too. At the arm which had a long clawed scar courtesy of Stiles a few months ago. An injury that he still felt when he had to physically tax his arm. He turned away from Derek's accusing stare. He couldn't help but wonder if Deaton had known it really was Stiles and had similar thoughts as Derek which is why he didn't share the nogitsune's identity with him. But, he didn't have too much time to dwell on any of it as he looked upon his cabinet to see that it was ajar.

He moved over to it and looked at the door. "Broken," he said noting the damage on the latch. He then opened it to find a small metal case inside. "This isn't mine." Derek went for it but he held his hand back. "Careful," he told him.

Chris went to check around the case and when he saw that it didn't seem rigged, he grabbed it and brought it to his desk. He then unlatched the locks and then opened it. Inside, there was rolls of money. And on top of the money seemed to be a decorated dagger in a sheath.

"How much do you think that is?" Derek asked.

"$150,000," Chris quickly answered. "But it doesn't make sense, we never took the money." He then went and grabbed the dagger to get a better look at it.

"And that?" Derek asked.

"It's an ornate dagger. I'd say Japanese origin, feudal era," Chris said as he analyzed the carving on the hilt.

"Whose money and dagger do you think it is?" Derek asked him.

"It all belongs to a Yakuza named Katashi. Has a nickname-"

"You mean something like, Silverfinger?"

Chris and Derek looked over to the doorway where they saw Agent McCall with some other agents and deputy officers behind him. He was holding a baggie with a silver prosthetic finger inside of it.

"Where did you get that?" Chris asked.

"Off Katashi's dead body," McCall told him. He then looked over at Derek. "Derek Hale…you're the last person I expected to find here with Christopher Argent."

"Long story," he said simply.

McCall nodded. "Well, I look forward to hearing it. Back at the Sheriff's station." He then looked back at the other agents and deputies with him. "Take him too."

The officer went over and began to pull their arms behind their backs and put them in cuffs.

"May I ask what this is about?" Chris asked as the cuffs on him were secured.

Agent McCall looked him square in the face. "You're under arrest Mr. Argent."

"What's the charge?"

"Well, for starters, for the murder of Katashi and several of his associates."

* * *

Coach had everyone line up after they had gotten off the bus so that they could run the trail. Among those students were Danny and Kira, both of who were looking for Ethan and Scott respectably but saw no sign of them. They didn't get much time to dwell on it when Coach went and blew the whistle to signal for their run to begin. As they ran, Danny quickly pulled ahead of the group. He was leading, until he was soon joined by Kira. They shared a small smile before Kira went and began to go faster and pull ahead of Danny and go deeper down the trail.

As Coach Finstock watched them all disappear into the trees, a familiar jeep skidded to a stop nearby.

"Coach!" Stiles shouted out as he and Scott got out.

Finstock actually was speechless when he laid eyes on him. "Stilinski?! What are-"

But Stiles cut him off. "Coach, you have to listen to us."

Danny was still running but he lost sight of Kira. He didn't think anyone could run that fast. Sometime to add to the long list of things about Beacon Hills that stuck out in his mind in the past two years. He was moving up a hill when he was suddenly tackled out of nowhere. He and his attacker rolled off a bit before he saw that it was Ethan.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked when they finally stopped.

Ethan was panting and shaking his head. "Uh…I missed you," he said to him before he went down to kiss him. One that quickly evolved to a full makeout session.

Kira kept on running. She had run so fast that she couldn't even hear or see any of the others in the class. She couldn't help the smile that soon came over her. She didn't know that she could run this fast. She started to wonder how fast she really could run and put more of herself into her run. The trees started to blur as she ran passed them. But, there was a blur ahead of her that was becoming clearer as it was moving towards her. She stopped just in time to avoid completely crashing into Scott as he caught her in his arms with a scream.

"Oh my god," she said as she looked up at him. "Did you see how fast I was running?"

He was nodding. "Yeah, I felt it. But, we need to stop the others."

Her face fell at the look in his eyes. "Why?"

"Scott!"

They looked over and saw that Stiles was running for them with Aiden and Coach right at his heels. Soon enough, the rest of the cross country group caught up and joined them.

"Everyone stop! Stop!" Stiles shouted as he held out his hands to them.

Stiles had stopped in front of a recently dug mound in the ground. He then started to carefully dig into it and revealed a metal chain. Everyone watched with bated breath as Stiles slowly started to pull it out and follow after it. He pulled until he reached the end which there was nothing but the opposite end of the chain.

Coach Finstock snorted before he began to clap. "Congratulations Stilinski, you found a length of chain. Can someone now tell me what the hell is going on?"

No one could understand it. Nothing was here but they knew that this was the place marked on the map that Stiles had. Scott was shaking his head before he saw what looked like a trip wire and Coach was moving right for it.

"Hey Coach!" he tried to warn just before Coach tripped it.

The next thing they knew, an arrow was inside the man's gut. Everyone was frozen as they looked at the thing sticking out of him.

Coach looked down at it in shock. "Oh crap," he muttered before he fell flat to the ground.

* * *

When Lydia caught up with Allison, she told him of spotting Peter with her mother at the school, as well as his message. She told her that she was going to see him which Allison immediately spoke against. She didn't stop even when they finally reached the entrance into the loft. Lydia looked at the door for a moment and then moved to slide it open.

Allison grabbed Lydia's hand before she could. "While I think it was smart to bring me along with you, I will say again that this is totally insane."

Lydia wasn't backing down. "I tried to find Stiles and I led everyone into a mental institution. I call that a colossal failure." She didn't have any choice. They didn't have time to try and look for other options, especially with Stiles' life on the line. "I need to figure this out and he is the only one offering help."

"Peter doesn't offer help, he offers a chance to be manipulated into giving him what he wants," Allison argued.

Lydia nodded. "Fine, then let's see what he wants."

Lydia then pulled the door open and they quickly found Peter. He was standing in front of the window and seemed to have been waiting for them.

He turned around and smiled at them. "The hunter and the banshee. Ladies, please come in." The two of them narrowed their eyes at him before they moved on inside the loft. Peter then looked over at Allison who was glaring at him. "She goes," he told Lydia.

Lydia sucked on her teeth. "The last time I was alone with you I almost bled out on the lacrosse field. Only reason I didn't was because Stiles was there to fight you off. She stays."

"Okay, first of all, he tried but he didn't actually fight me off. And second, do you actually think I was trying to kill you? When I bit you, you were my backup plan, remember? Not to mention that my bite is what brought out latent abilities. You really think that power like that was going to come out on its own?" Peter shook his head. "I'm the spark that lit your fire sweetheart."

Lydia seemed to be a little freaked out by that but Allison only grew angrier.

"You attacked her and nearly killed her," she spat at Peter.

"Power doesn't come without a little pain or struggle."

Lydia shook her head. "I didn't ask for it."

Peter smiled. "But you're embracing it now, aren't you?"

"How about the fact that you brainwashed her and used her to bring you back to life," Allison reminded him.

"So that I could be here to help you master your abilities. Isn't it amazing how things come full circle?" he said with a bit of a laugh.

Allison had enough. "He's insane. We're leaving." Allison offered Lydia her hand and she took it.

"You want the truth Lydia!" Peter shouted as they were heading out and made them stop. "It's not the scream that gives you power. All the scream does is help drown out the noise allowing you to hear what you really need to. I can help you to focus your hearing." That made Lydia turn back to him to let him know that he had her attention.

"But you want something in return?" Allison drawled out at him.

"No, I'm dedicating my life to helping out narcissistic teenage girls," Peter said sarcastically before he grabbed the container next to him. "Of course I want something in return." He then opened the container and then spilled out its contents. Five claws.

* * *

Mrs. Yukimura went to an old cabinet and took out a small box. She opened it to reveal a velvet bag that had metal pieces of sword she wielded long ago. She was still hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but from what she saw the Nogitsune do back at the hospital, wielding foxfire to destroy the Oni, she might not have much choice. But, she would wait and have this option only be as her last resort. There was a more drastic measure that she could take, no matter what it did to her, she would take it before putting her daughter on the line.


	14. Letharia Vulpina part 2

Chapter 14: Letharia Vulpina part 2

Chris found himself sitting in the sheriff's office, alone. He was just staring at the table when Agent McCall walked in with two other agents and Sheriff Stilinski. The Sheriff was trying to avoid looking the hunter in the eye as he moved the boxes from the earlier delivery off to the side while McCall seemed to studying him vigorously.

"I have to say Chris, first your sister Kate and now you, it seems your family loves leaving bodies behind, huh?" McCall asked him a slightly hard tone.

Chris glared at him as soon as he made that jab towards his family. "What is this about?"

Agent McCall took out a folder that he had under his arm and then opened it to take out a picture of Katashi that he slammed in front of him. "You know this man?" Chris just stared at it and didn't say anything. McCall decided to continue. "Katashi, though he is often called Silverfinger, he's a Yakuza boss. He was killed roughly five days ago. Him and a good many of his security detail was found in his warehouse office a couple miles outside town dead from bullet and stab wounds. His security also confirmed that 150,000 dollars was also taken from his office. Do you mind telling us where were you five days ago."

"I was home. I haven't even left Beacon Hills in the last month," Chris said calmly and unflinchingly.

"That so?" McCall then reached into his folder and took out a manifesto that had a picture of the flintlock pistol. "We managed to find Katashi's itinerary. It seems that just prior to his death, Katashi arranged a meeting to buy an antique flintlock pistol being sold by a Christopher Argent. We found it in your home, along with the missing money and a very large collection of weapons, hidden behind a false back in your closet that we found thanks to an anonymous tip." One of his fellow agents then went and brought out two baggies that each had a gun with a silencer. "Recognize these? You should since they're registered to you."

Chris gave them a look. "You took these from my apartment?" he asked wondering what the relevance was.

But McCall shook his head. "No, they were found at the crime scene. We ran ballistics on the bullets we found in some of Katashi's men. They're a match. And, we also found an overcoat in your closet with blood on it. Forensics are still trying to identify the owner of every blood smear on it but have some matches which include Katashi." He then nodded to the other agent who then went and brought down a baggie with the dagger that Chris found in the case. Only the dagger wasn't sheathed and the blade exposed where there was dried blood on it. "They also confirmed that this was the knife used to kill him. Its part of his personal collection and it has your fingerprints all over it."

"I have no idea how it all was found in my home," Chris said simply as he kept his eye on the dagger. He was lying of course. He knew who had done this. Stiles, who had apparently broke into his home, took some of his guns and clothes and then went off to kill Katashi and his fellow Yakuza, made the tip and then plant all the evidence for McCall to find. He and Allison had hardly been home for the last two days which gave him plenty of time to do all of this.

"That so?" McCall then moved away from the table so he could pace around it. "That's funny. See, we spoke with Katashi's aid, name's Kincaid, who confirmed that you had gone to see Katashi. Or rather, that you broke in to see Katashi. And, he also said that you weren't alone. Some of the other men who were attacked confirmed that they had been attacked by both you and a young woman. Some others confirmed that there was a third person who attacked, unfortunately though, they said they couldn't get a good look at him. Brought some of your old friends along Chris?" Chris avoided looking at McCall. He just kept looking down at the desk in front of him. "Thanks to some admittedly well done digging by Sheriff Stilinski a few months ago, we know that your family has had connections with some pretty interesting people. Isn't that right Sheriff?"

That made Chris look over towards the Sheriff who was staring back at him with a hard look in his eye. He nodded. "Yeah," he said to McCall. "Known family associates include people with violent and questionable histories who were under suspicion of being associated with assault, kidnapping, arson and murder." He said that last two parts as he looked back down to catch the hunter's eye and Chris dropped his gaze when he did. "However, as most of the evidence was circumstantial at best the charges were dropped. And a good many of them were killed a few months ago after they were caught by us, suddenly. Around the time that your wife died and your father mysteriously vanished."

"Not to mention the ones killed by your sister Kate. Anything you want to say about that Chris?" Agent McCall asked him. But Chris just kept staring down with a hard look on his face. "Okay, maybe you might say something about this." McCall began moving over and pulling out a file that was on a shelf behind the desk and then took out a picture from it and placing it in front of him so he could see it. It was of his late wife. "Seems the Sheriff found something interesting about your wife as well. I'm sure you know that your father quickly stepped in after Mr. Thomas suddenly resigned as the principal at the high school. When he re-took the position, the Sheriff and he had a little chat. Apparently, he told him that he'd been strong armed and tortured into resigning in the first place. He couldn't remember everyone that took him, but he remembered the one that tortured him and he identified your wife. Claims she used a shock stick on him, and we found a few electric rods in the hidden weapon cache in your office." Chris took his eyes away from the picture of his wife and his jaw tightened. McCall tilted his head down at him. "What, still nothing to say? Okay...maybe your daughter Allison would have something to share." he huffed as he began to move for the door.

"Allison has nothing to do with any of this," he quickly spoke out. "She doesn't have to be brought into this. She doesn't know anything."

McCall began to move for him again. "Is that right? Well...then I suppose it's just a coincidence how on the day that Katashi was murdered, she didn't attend school. Or, did she get a leave of absence to join her father in on a family escapade?"

Chris tried not to let any panic set in. He just let his eyes widen as if this was all news to him. "She what?"

The Sheriff didn't know how he should feel about this. His instincts said Argent didn't really do any of this, but the evidence was overwhelming. And he knew that the man was hardly innocent. Given how he had treated his son and Scott, as well as what his family had done to the Hales and to others in Beacon Hills over the years, the Argents were well versed and trained in killing and being able to get away with it. Skilled at looking innocent. After all, if he didn't know what the man was capable of, he would actually believe that he didn't really know about his daughter skipping school.

But they were all interrupted before anything else could be said and done by Jordan Parrish.

"Sheriff," Parrish said as he opened the door with a bit of panic in his face.

"Parrish?" The Sheriff tensed as he knew that Parrish wouldn't barge in like this if it wasn't important.

"There's been an accident in the woods. A teacher was just shot with an arrow."

* * *

When Coach fell, that's when everyone finally reacted. Everyone started to crowd around him as he stayed still with the arrow sticking out of him. It took about half a minute before the Coach finally started moving, and screaming.

"Get it out of me! Get it out of me!" he kept shouting and trying to fidget but Scott, Stiles and Aiden were pushing on him to keep him from moving around too much. "Oh my god! I'm going to die! I'm gonna die! Get it out of me!"

Stiles was trying to stop the bleeding but his thrashing and shouting wasn't helping any. "Coach! You're not going to die!" he tried to calm him.

"I'm going to die!" Coach roared out.

"It hurts less if you stop moving Coach," Aiden tried to calm him. It didn't. He kept thrashing around and yelling to remove the arrow. "Stay still Coach! An ambulance is coming!"

"Get it out!" Coach roared at Aiden's face.

Aiden went back as a wave of irritation hit him. He then noticed that they were being crowded by everyone. "Get back!" he shouted and waved at them to back off. "Give him some room!"

"Get back," Ethan said as he went in front of everyone to move them away.

Everyone then started to back away a couple of feet leaving the three of them with Coach. Scott looked over and saw that none of them were close enough to see him before he went to take Coach's hand and started to pull as much pain from him as he could. A pair of eyes narrowed at the sight for a moment before they softened up. Scott kept pulling the pain from Coach before he stopped moving.

"I think he just passed out," Aiden told them as Scott stopped pulling pain.

Stiles then raised his hands which were wet with Coach's blood and were shaking. His eyes were locked on his bloody hands. "I could've killed him. I could've killed him. What, what if it was his head or his throat?"

But Scott quickly shook his head. "But it wasn't, and it's going to be alright."

"I think I just heard the ambulance coming," Aiden told them.

Sure enough, they began hearing the sirens from the ambulance as it was getting closer.

Stiles was staring out in the direction a little freaked. "And my dad."

* * *

Right outside the Sheriff's office, Chris was taken to the bench there and handcuffed right next to Derek Hale. The two of them seemed to be trying to keep to their opposite ends of the bench.

Chris looked down at his cuffs and just let out a sigh. "So, I don't suppose you have any idea why Stiles would frame us for murder?"

Derek shrugged. "To be honest, I didn't think Stiles was smart enough to frame anyone for murder. And, he framed you, not me. He just made sure that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Chris nodded at that. It was no coincidence that one of his emitters had been left to draw Derek to his apartment just before McCall and the others had arrived. "Yeah…which means that there has to be more of a reason why we're here."

That got Derek to finally look at him. "What do you mean?"

Chris looked over at the office where he could dimly make out Scott's father through the glass. "McCall's going to come out here in a minute. Probably talk attorneys. Say you agree to allow mine to represent you."

Derek now glared at him. "Why should I trust your attorney?" As far as Derek was concerned, the heat was on Argent, not him. He didn't need the man's help. "It's not like this is my first time being arrested because of Scott or Stiles. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you could, but I'm not calling my attorney yet. I just want some more time."

"For what?"

"For figuring out why we're both really here for."

* * *

Scott was off to the side, watching as Coach was on a gurney and loaded into the back of an ambulance. He then looked over to see Stiles with his dad, sharing a hug after they had been separated for the last two days after the hospital. Scott couldn't help but wonder what was really going on. None of this seemed to be making any sense to him. Why would the nogitsune take Stiles for two days and then just let him go so he could watch someone get hit with an arrow? He couldn't help but remember how when he chased the nogitsune that night, how it laughed. Was this all just some sick game?

"Scott." He looked over to see Ethan coming over to him with another bag that he took from Stiles' jeep. "Look at this."

Scott looked and found some wires, bolts, screws and tools inside, along with a roll of wrapping paper. "Wait, this is the same paper that we wrapped Coach's present in."

"Wasn't that Barrow's thing?" Ethan asked. "A bomb of nails and bolts, all wrapped up inside a birthday present? Where'd it go off?"

Scott took a moment to look at Stiles as he tried to remember what he had told him about Barrow's history. He then remembered what his friend told him. "On a school bus."

Off to the side, Aiden was looking off at them, narrowing his eyes. More specifically at Stiles. He couldn't help but feel that all of this was a little too convenient. For Stiles to be gone two days and then come back suddenly, looking strong and healthy again, and to easily lead them into each of the nogitsune's schemes. Something wasn't right.

* * *

One of the bus drivers quickly called it in and Mr. Yukimura was the first on the scene as the students were trying to put some distance between them and the buses in the parking lot.

"Move! Out of the way!" he called as he tried to get to the bus.

He saw that the last of the students was leaving the bus and he then got in. He looked over and saw that Jared was still left on the bus towards the back. He was still as a board and looked freaked out.

"They told me not to move," he said to Mr. Yukimura in a small voice.

"Jared, right?" Mr. Yukimura asked in order to keep him calm.

Jared wasn't getting calmer. "They told me not to move. They said: Stay where you are. Don't move a muscle."

"It's alright," Mr. Yukimura said consolingly.

"I didn't know what it was when I picked it up. I didn't know."

"It's alright Jared. I'm just going to take a look, alright?" Jared nodded and Mr. Yukimura moved closer.

He then got there to see that in Jared's hands was a box. It was decorated in wrapping paper and topped off with ribbons wrapped up in a bow. Like a birthday present.

Outside, the police had arrived and the Sheriff was trying to get the lot cleared out. Parrish was with him and was moving for his equipment in his van.

"We'll wait for the bomb squad," he tried to tell him.

But Parrish kept going as he opened the back door and took off his jacket. "I'm a certified HDT. Two years in the army." He then went and pulled out his gear. "We can at least find out if this thing's real."

The Sheriff knew that Parrish had a point. He couldn't very well tell everyone that he knew the threat was real because Scott and Stiles told him that Barrow's trademark was being borrowed by a dark fox spirit. He sighed out in resignation. "Fine, but be careful Parrish. There's a kid in there and I don't want to lose you so soon after getting you."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," he said before he opened his bag to reveal his gear to him.

The lot became quiet as everyone waited behind the perimeter and watched as Parrish began to move inside the bus. Scott, Stiles and the Twins were there to look at the bus where they could dimly make out Jared's shadow.

"You think there really is a bomb?" Scott asked.

Stiles tilted his head. "It's exactly like what happened with Barrow. The wrapped up box. School bus. And the wires, bolts and screws we found in the bag. How could it not be a bomb?" Stiles muttered.

Ethan was watching the bus too, but Aiden was watching Stiles. Or rather, watching how he was reacting. He saw that Stiles' form seemed to be shaking but the vibe he was getting wasn't one of fear, but anticipation. His eyes went down to where Stiles' hands were hanging off at his sides and saw that his fingers were rubbing against each other, as if he was waiting for something. Aiden narrowed his eyes again.

Aiden then reached into his pocket and took out his phone and went to look at it. "Stiles," he said to him as he kept his eyes on his phone. Scott, Stiles and Ethan looked over at him. "I need you to come with me. It's important but we can't talk here."

"Now?" Stiles said to him.

"Yeah, now." He said as he put his phone back in his pocket and began to walk off. "It's about Lydia."

Stiles made to move and go with him but Scott stopped him.

"Wait, Stiles," he pointing out to the lot to remind him of what was going on.

Stiles looked from the bus back to him. "It'll be fine Scott. I'll be right back, just...stay and watch out for my dad, okay?"

Scott's face softened and he gave his friend a nod. Stiles then went off with Aiden walking with him. Scott turned to keep watching what was happening while Ethan's gaze followed after his brother and Stiles. Aiden turned to look over back at Ethan and shared a look with him. Aiden lead Stiles through the school, straight for the locker room.

Aiden opened the door and tilted his head in. "In here."

Stiles walked on inside and saw that it was empty. "What's going on?"

Aiden walked off a bit before he stopped. His face was facing away from Stiles so he didn't see that Aiden's eyes were glowing blue and his teeth were out. "I think you know that more than any of us."

Stiles narrowed his eyes before he heard the locker room door close. He looked back to see Ethan had closed it and moved to stand in front of it. Stiles then turned to look back at Aiden as he turned to show his shifted face. He then ran for Stiles.

* * *

Allison was holding up a claw and giving it a look. "These are the claws of Derek's mother?"

Peter nodded. "My sister, Talia. Before she died, she stole a memory from me. Something that only a very powerful Alpha can do. That memory is locked inside those claws."

Lydia looked from it to him. "Why would your sister want to steal a memory from you?" She had a feeling that it couldn't have been good.

"Well if I could remember the memory, I might be able to tell you," he said back to her.

Lydia then looked down at all of the claws together. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Hear, and listen," he told her.

Lydia took the claws into her grasp and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she started to pace. She was trying to let herself relax and feel out what she had to do, let her instincts lead her like how Stiles had taught her but she wasn't feeling or hearing anything. "There's nothing."

Peter rolled his eyes. "You have to focus," he scolded.

"I am focusing," she spat at him.

"You're not! I can see the wheels spinning behind your eyes." She glared at him and turned away. "Your ears are tuned to a level of the universe that no one else can hear, but only if you're listening."

She took a deep breath. "I am trying but I hear nothing."

Peter then got up and paced after her. "Try harder!" But he stopped when a metal baton sparked and stopped just before his neck. Allison had her eyes locked completely on him as she held the electric rod steady and surely against him. Peter brought out his claws but Allison didn't even flinch. "Your aunt had one of those," he smirked at her. "Aunty Kate."

"Stop it," Lydia said to them. "The both of you."

But Peter paid her no mind. "Didn't do her much good as I ripped her throat out, did it?"

Allison just kept glaring at her. "She didn't shove it up your-"

"Stop it!" Lydia screamed at them as she then threw the claws out before they flew and stuck into a support pillar. As they vibrated from the impact, Lydia began to hear something. Her eyes widened. It was much like how Aiden had made her hear from the strings when he plucked them back in Stiles' room. Her eyes widened as she found a pattern but she became lost in what this vibration was making her hear.

Peter deflated when he saw the look on her face. "Lydia? You hear something? What is it? Is it the memory?"

Lydia didn't answer but just kept walking for the claws. She could hear voices, a woman's voice speaking loud. Like she was talking to someone. Lydia listened to what she was saying and her eyes widened. Peter kept asking for Lydia to tell him what had Talia taken and knew from him. She slowly turned and looked at him uncomfortably. "You're…not just an uncle."

For the very first time, Allison and Lydia saw Peter Hale look genuinely shocked and heartstruck.

Peter himself had his mind going a mile a minute. He was a father? This meant that Cora wasn't carrying the only legacy to their family, he had sired one of his own. That was what Talia had taken from him? Why? Was it because of him? Or was it because of who he had been with? Who was it…and who was his child?

* * *

Derek was starting to grow impatient with just sitting around, especially with Chris Argent as his only form of company. He looked the handcuffs binding him in annoyance. "You know, I can just break out of these."

"So could I," Chris mumbled back to him. "But I'm not interested in being a runaway fugitive from the law."

"Well, I'm not interested in being a victim to a 17 year old possessed by a psychotic fox."

"I just need some more time." But Derek was starting to move his wrist more as if getting ready to break the cuffs. "Derek!" he scolded.

Derek the just dropped his hand. "Why?" he spat. "I fail to see why it's so important for me to stay here and help you stall. Especially when it's your ass that's on the line here, not mine." That made Chris glare at him. "I overheard everything in there. You're the one that's pegged for those murders, not me. There's no way out for you, not on this one," he said pointedly.

But Chris shook his head as he looked around at the station. "It's not just me. They know that I wasn't alone with seeing Katashi. They have me with someone else. A young woman and I need time to make sure they don't link it to Allison."

Derek just looked up. "You know, if you're trying to argue with me staying, you're not really giving me any reasons to."

Chris softened his expression and took a deep breath. "She's an innocent girl." To him, that was reason enough.

But Derek's eyes narrowed at him. "She's not that innocent," he said as he looked straight at Chris' stoned stare. "And neither are you. So don't expect me to go out of my way to help you."

The two of them then fell again into a tense silence as they went to avoid looking at one another.

* * *

Mr. Yukimura walked through the quiet halls of Beacon Hills High with the dimming sunlight still shining through the windows. With what was happening, no one was really inside the building. Everyone was preoccupied with what was going on outside. He opened the door to his classroom and froze at the sight of his wife inside.

"Close the door," she told him.

He stepped inside and then shut the door but he didn't notice that Kira had walked in after him and heard her mother as well. Kira slowly stepped over to look through the door's window to see her father reaching for a thick book on the shelf.

"You hid them in a book?" her mother said sounding mortified. "Couldn't you find something more secure?"

But her father just smirked at her. "How many high school students do you know who would willingly open a book?" He then set the book down as his face went serious. "You still haven't talked to Kira, have you?"

"Barely a word since the hospital."

"You need to tell her. Especially about this." He then opened the book to reveal that there were eight deep cavities cut into the book. Five of them were empty and three of them held black colored knives. "You've already sacrificed five and five of the Oni are gone. How many more tails are you willing to sacrifice?" he asked his wife pained.

She just looked into the book at the empty spots, running her fingers into where her tails had once laid. "As many as I have to," she said sadly. "You didn't see him. He's much stronger than he was the last time. Taking that kind of host was a gamble that could've destroyed him, instead it made him stronger than ever. It risked everything with that move…now I must risk everything. All of them," she nearly whispered. She then reached into one of the holes and took out on of the knives. She then held it between her fingers and snapped it. Both of them flinched when she did. And again when she took out a second. "These Oni will be stronger. Much stronger."

"Will they be strong enough?" he asked.

"Hopefully. If not." She looked over at the last hole with her last tail. "That one will definitely make them strong enough." Her trump card.

Kira watched wide-eyed from the door. Her mother had been the one who had set the Oni loose on everyone. And now, they were going after Stiles. To kill him.

* * *

Parrish slowly and calmly made his way over to Jared who was silently freaking out as he held the package in his hands. Parrish saw that Jared was sweating and seemed to be holding in the urge to gag.

He bent down on one knee next to him. "Jared, it would be really helpful if you didn't throw up on a potential explosive device. Can you do that for me?"

Jared nodded. "I think so." He then looked on as Parrish began to try to open the package. He didn't want to watch so he looked over at Parrish instead. "You, look very-

"Handsome?" Parrish said for him. "Thank you. You know, for a second, I thought you were going to say that I look very young and would have to launch into an explanation about how I'm really 24 and anyone could look young if they eat right and exercise. Although that probably just good genes though anyway, right?"

As he was keeping conversation, he move to carefully cut the ribbons on the box and then snipped them which made Jared flinch. Parrish then pushed on the lid and then slowly moved to uncover it. Both he and Jared peeked inside and the two of them let out a deep breath at what was in there.

The Sheriff was still calmly waiting outside the front of the bus when Parrish's voice sounded through his radio.

" _ **It's not a bomb sir but there is something in the box**_."

Parrish then walked over the front window and placed what seemed to be a nameplate against it. The Sheriff, along with Scott looked at it to see that it was the Sheriff's nameplate. Everyone seemed confused. The Sheriff wondered why his nameplate was in the box before his mind flashed back to the delivery they received this morning. The ones that hadn't been opened and were still there.

"Oh my god," he mumbled. "There is a bomb, but not here." He looked over at Scott, knowing that he just heard what he said to himself. He saw Scott's eyes widen in shock.

* * *

Derek and Chris were still sitting quietly when all of a sudden, the place erupted into chaos. The officers started to run about and panic. One of them ran over to them and went to try and uncuff Chris.

"What's happening?" he tried to ask but the officer didn't answer him.

Derek watched as the officer uncuffed the hunter and moved to uncuff him. He let his senses expand to try and listen for someone talking about what was going on. But, he then started to hear some kind of ticking sound. Ticking along with some kind of buzzing. It was close. He followed it and saw that it was coming from behind them, from packages that were on the sheriff's desk. It was speeding up before it all then stopped.

"Get down!" Derek shouted just before he moved to cover Chris.

Less than a second later, there was an explosion. It rocked the station as glass and wood blew from the office and sprayed everywhere along with nuts and bolts.

* * *

Stiles moved over and got to Scott as everyone was starting to head off. "Scott, what happened?" he asked him breathlessly.

Scott looked at him horrified. "The bomb, it wasn't on the bus. It was at the station."

Stiles' eyes widened. "The station?"

"Yeah, we have to head there now." They then began to move for the Jeep but Scott noticed something missing. "Where are Ethan and Aiden?"

"Lydia called. Said that she was hearing stuff again. Wanted to talk to me and find out what was happening. Aiden's meeting up with her and Ethan went to find Danny. Call for Allison and ask if she could meet us there."

Scott nodded as he didn't say anything else as he sat down and went for his phone as Stiles quickly started up the jeep so that they could head to the station.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura were in the history classroom, watching solemnly as the sun started to set. The new and stronger Oni would be released from the Nemeton and would go on the hunt for the Nogitsune.

* * *

Peter was leering at Lydia who was just staring at him, awkwardly. He started to pace towards her and Lydia was backing up with every step he took. Allison felt her phone vibrating but she ignored as she kept her eyes trained on Peter and Lydia.

"I said I don't know," she said as she backed away from him. "I don't know its name. If it's a boy or girl. Or some mutated wolf baby?" she sarcastically threw in.

But Peter didn't slow in his approach. Or calm down. "You're lying. Tell me what you know." He then reached and grabbed her. "Tell me. Tell-"

But he was cut off when he felt a sharp pain hit him from behind. Lydia watched him drop as Allison raised up the electric rod she had just used on him.

Allison went and took her by the hand. "Now we're leaving."

Peter shook from the pain but kept his eyes on Lydia as she left with Allison. But he couldn't have them leave. Not until he knew the truth. "Lydia!" he shouted in vain as they closed the loft door behind them.

* * *

Danny was going into the locker room to grab his gear that he left behind since all of this insanity started. He walked on it but his jaw dropped in shock when he found both Ethan and his brother lying unconscious on the floor.

He bent down and lightly tapped at Ethan's face to try and revive him. "Ethan, hey Ethan, are you alright?"

Ethan began to stir and blinked his eyes at him. "Danny?"

Danny looked from him to his brother. "What the hell happened to you?"

He then sat up and grabbed at Danny's arm. "Stiles? Where's Stiles?" he asked him hurriedly.

* * *

The boys and the Sheriff got to the station and ran inside to find that a good part of it was destroyed. There were bodies lying everywhere along with a few people trying to move through the bloody wounds that they had.

"This is Sheriff Stilinski," the sheriff said into his radio. "Officers down! Multiple officers down! We need an ambulance ASAP!"

Scott was looking at all of the destruction and blood spread around and seemed frozen in shock. This wasn't his first time seeing dead bodies but this…this had Scott's blood running cold.

Chris Argent was by the now destroyed front of the Sheriff's office. Derek Hale was trying to stand up next to him when Chris noticed that Derek was heavily bleeding. "Derek!" He took hold of his jacket and saw that Derek's back was littered with sharp pieces of broken glass.

"I'm okay," he muttered to him. Derek seemed a little dizzy from the blasts impact on him.

"You saved my life," Chris muttered a little surprised. Considering that Derek had said that he wouldn't go out of his way to help him, he went and shielded him and saved him.

Stiles shook his head and ran off to where he saw a badly wounded deputy who seemed to still be moving a bit. "Scott! Scott!" he said to try and shake him out of it. Scott moved over to him. "Can't you do something? Take his pain?" Scott looked up from the deputy to him. "Make it easier?"

Scott could see it. The man, he was dying. And he was in great pain. He thought Stiles was right. They couldn't save him but they could at least try and make his final moments better. Scott went and grabbed his wrist and he closed his eyes to focus on pulling as much pain from the man as he could. With his eyes closed, he didn't notice a pair of darkened eyes narrowing at him for a moment. Scott pulled out all the pain he could as the deputy bled out and his heart stopped. They heard the Sheriff telling them to move and get away and Stiles went and helped pull Scott to his feet as he was still in shock in looking at the deputy's body.

Kira ran into the station and quickly spotted Scott and Stiles through the carnage and then went over to them. "The Oni," she panted to them. "They're coming!"

Scott then realized that it was the dead of night and they were still hunting for the one carrying the nogitsune, only they wouldn't mark him like the rest of them. They were going to skewer him with swords. "Stiles, we have to get you out of here." He saw Stiles stuck staring over at his father. "Now!" he said as he reached over to pull him away.

Chris Argent looked away from the bloody wounds that Derek had to the frantic movement by the entrance. He saw Scott going out with that new girl, the kitsune Kira. Then he saw Stiles. Stiles stopped moving for a moment and Chris saw that his eyes moved over towards him and his mouth curved slightly. He then took off and Chris moved to try to go after him but he was then grabbed by a deputy.

"Let me go," he said to the officer.

But the deputy just pulled his arm behind him and reached for the handcuffs hanging on his belt to restrain him. But Argent moved to push the deputy against the wall making him loosen his grip on him before he went and punched the guy. He shared a look with Derek before he made a break for it. He got outside and saw, just in time, as the familiar blue jeep was already driving off. Chris panted out excessively at the fading taillights of it before he then ran off to get away before the police got organized enough to notice that he had gotten away.

* * *

Allison and Lydia ran from the loft and got into her car and moved to drive off some distance away. When Allison thought they were far enough, she pulled the car over. Lydia didn't turn to look at her right away but when she did, she saw Allison was calmly looking at her.

"You do know, don't you?"

Lydia went to pull out her phone. "You have a picture of Peter?"

"Yeah?" she asked as she pulled out her own phone.

"I'll show you."

Allison went and searched and got a picture of Peter Hale. "I've got mine. You've got yours?"

"Yeah."

Lydia pulled up a picture of Malia Tate and then put her phone next to Allison's that was showing Peter Hale.

Allison's eyes widened a bit at Malia's picture. "Peter and Malia?"

Lydia nodded. "Father and Daughter."

* * *

Stiles was driving them feverishly through the rain as fast as he could. Kira asked if they were heading for Scott's house since it had helped keep the Oni out, or for Stiles' house since he had told her that it was rigged just like his but he told her that both were too far and were heading somewhere closer. His job.

"The animal clinic?" Kira asked him incredulously.

"Yeah, it's lined with mountain ash, just like my home."

Stiles' eyes narrowed. "Yeah, but won't they eventually break through it?" he asked remembering what Scott had told him about the night at his house.

He nodded. "Yeah, eventually."

"You don't have any better ideas?" Scott turned and just looked at him with that same emotionless look he always gave. Stiles shrugged. "Okay sure, animal clinic."

Stiles quickly drove them to the entrance of the animal clinic and the three of them quickly moved to get out of the jeep and run for the doors. Before Scott could move to get the doors open, he heard a disturbingly familiar sound. He turned and saw the Oni materialize behind them.

"Stiles! Get inside!" Scott shouted as he threw his friend the keys.

Scott then quickly shifted to try and buy them time to get in. Stiles got the door open but Kira moved away and ran for a pile of animal carrier cages left by the door.

"Kira! Get inside!" Stiles tried to shout to her.

But Kira began taking the cages and throwing them at the Oni to try and help Scott hold them off. The Oni hardly flinched as they got hit. Scott was trying to fight one but it kept dodging each swipe of his claws that he threw at it. One of the Oni stomped over for Kira. She was frozen for a moment but when the Oni went to strike at her, she caught its hand. She then went and flipped him over to the ground. Scott pushed at the Oni and managed to then get a shot in and knock it down. He then looked up in time for Kira to pick up a pipe to block a strike from one of the Oni's swords and then strike it up at his head making it fly off its feet. Kira seemed in shock at her own action as she stared at the pipe before she went and struck again at the Oni before it could get back up. Scott was so stunned by seeing her fight like that that he didn't notice one of them going for him until just before it stuck its sword cleanly into his stomach. Kira screamed out Scott's name in horror before she went over and sent a hard kick to knock the Oni away from him.

Stiles had been watching all of it by the door and then ran over to Scott at the same time as Kira.

"Get him inside," he told her as they carried Scott into the clinic.

They moved inside and Stiles quickly shut the door closed. Scott was helped inside the operating room where they moved him to lean against the operating table.

Kira looked over at the sword still stuck inside him. "Oh my god. Are you okay?"

Scott didn't answer. He just moved to try and pull the sword out but it was stuck in too tightly and him pulling was just too painful.

"We should take care of that," Stiles panted out.

Kira looked over at Stiles and back to Scott. "He's right."

Scott shared a look with Kira as he silently asked her to pull it out for him. Kira nodded. She moved her shaking hands to the hilt and then prepared to pull it out for him, when her wrist was grabbed. Stiles took Kira's wrist and then began to squeeze and twist it.

"Maybe you didn't understand," Stiles grumbled under his breath. " _We_ should take care of that," he said before putting more pressure on her wrist.

"Stiles," she cried out painfully.

Kira gasped as Stiles went and grabbed the back of her head and slammed it into the table. Scott watched in horror as Kira fell to the floor and lay motionless. He then looked up at Stiles who was also staring at Kira's body and then slowly looked up at him. The look in his eyes was nothing like he had seen from his friend before, even at his angriest. They didn't have the slightest bit of emotion in them. They were blank, hollow…void.

Stiles then walked over until he was right in front of the sword and gave it a look. He then twiddled his fingers over the hilt before looking back at him. "You okay?" he asked as if he hadn't just attacked Kira in front of him.

Scott shook his head. "Please, don't. Stop," he said, desperately trying to get through to his friend.

"Shh," Stiles said holding his hand up. "It's okay," he said to Scott softly. He then went and took hold of the sword. He gave Scott a nod and then went and twisted it. Scott then began screaming as Stiles went and pushed on the blade and twisted it further making Scott's screams even louder. "Oh, does it hurt? Oh, I know all too well Scott. Believe me." Stiles then went and grabbed Scott by the shoulder making Scott look at him with his eyes squinted. Stiles' face then became amused. "What's wrong Scott? Hard to tell through the pain but I daresay you look confused."

"It can't be…you can't be," Scott whispered with his eyes starting to water.

Stiles grinned and tilted his head at him. "Can't what? Can't be...not me? Us?" He then let his teeth show in a twisted smile that was foreign on Stiles face. "That's right, I remember now. You tested me." He then rolled his eyes. "Oh Scott, didn't you learn your lesson from what happened with Jackson? Don't you know those aren't so reliable?" He then went and grabbed Scott by his chin and made him look at him square in the face. "Use your eyes. Hey, look at me." he said a little forcefully.

Scott squinted for a bit as Stiles was holding onto his jaw pretty hard but he managed to bring his red eyes out and look at Stiles. He saw that he was clean as he was before. The irises in Stiles' eyes then went dark and suddenly, he saw a dark fiery aura appear above him. That monstrous looking fox was back and seemed to be snarling devilishly at him.

"But…how," Scott sputtered. "Young kitsunes-"

"Can't hide it? True," Stiles cut in giddily. "They can't. I mean, Kira can't." He then cast a look at the unconscious girl on the floor. "She's 17 years old." He then looked back at Scott. "And I'm over a 1000 years old." He then went and twisted the sword again to send a fresh wave of pain his way and made the red of his eyes flicker out. "Yeah, I look good pushing the hundred decade mark, huh?" he said in amusement as Scott. "Oh Scott, for a True Alpha, you truly are an idiot."

"What?" Scott gasped.

Stiles smirked at him. "You couldn't see it. I mean, first with the ice rink then the bowling alley, your precious Allison highlights that you practically talked my ear off about and nothing clicked? Then our little tussle in the woods, no sense of dejavu from our summer of fun? And then, me actually asking you to call Allison for help. I couldn't resist seeing if that would at least have raised a red flag for you then, but dude, still, you never knew what hit you," he finished with a snort.

Scott grit his teeth as he felt angry that this thing talked and mocked him as if it was really Stiles talking. "Why?" he said spitting up some blood. "Why are you doing all of this?"

"Why?" Stiles scoffed at him. "You should've done your reading Scott. A Nogitsune _feeds_ on Chaos, Strife and Pain. You went and took it from Isaac, and from Coach, and from a dying deputy. You took their pain. All of it." The hand that was holding his jaw went to the side of Scott's head. "Now, give it ALL to ME!" Scott then felt as all the pain was getting pulled out of him. However, unlike the times that Stiles had pulled pain from him before, where he would feel relief, he began to feel as if he was reliving the pain all over again. Stiles' eyes rolled back as the pain flooded into him and brought him nothing but ecstasy. When he stopped they were both panting a bit, Scott feeling weaker and Stiles feeling stronger. "Thanks," Stiles panted happily before lowering his hand from Scott. Then, dark purple colored sparks began to flare in his fingertips and some went off and sent shocks and jolts into Scott who could barely move with Stiles' other hand still gripping the sword. "You've got to learn Scott. You've got to learn to never, ever trust a fox." He shook his head as he chuckled at him. "Because they're tricksters. They fool you. We fool everyone," he said leaning in with a dark look on his face.

"Not everyone," a voice said softly behind him.

Stiles looked back just before a needle went into his neck. Deaton glared as he injected what was in the syringe into him. Stiles gasped in pain and the sparks in his hand flew up and hit the roof making the room be lit for a moment as the sparks rained down a bit. He grabbed at Deaton's hand to try and pull the syringe out but his strength gave out and he slowly fell to his knees before he fell to the floor.

Scott looked down at Stiles and let his red eyes loose. He saw the aura of the nogitsune, the fox move like it was in pain before it fizzled out. He was so distracted by what he was seeing that he didn't see Deaton reach for the hilt of the sword and looked away only when Deaton pulled it out and Scott felt a moment of pain before he breathed easier now that the thing was out of him.

"Is that it?" Scott gasped as he tried to get his breathing under control. "Was that a cure? Is he okay?" he asked desperately.

But Deaton shook his head. "The fox is poisoned. But, it's not dead." He then looked over at Stiles' still body. "Not yet."


	15. Echo House

Chapter 15: Echo House

Stiles and his father were in his van, neither one of them was speaking. The truth was that neither of them really knew what to say. Stiles had gone over everything that had happened over the time from when he had gone missing from the hospital with him and filled in the blanks about the recent terrible things that happened in town. The first thing they talked about was finding some way to not let the nogitsune keep using Stiles to do more horrible things. That and to find a way to protect him from getting attacked by the Oni who were still after him. According to Deaton, this was the best course of action that could both protect Stiles and protect others from him. The van pulled to a full stop right in front of the gates into Eichen House. They didn't get out of the car right away. They both just gave the place a timely look before they went to share a look. They had to do this now, before either one of them changed their minds. They then pulled themselves out of the car and gave the building another good look. They were going to start moving in but the sound of a motorbike stopped them.

Scott quickly hopped off his bike and pulled off his helmet as he walked over to them. "Why didn't you tell me?" he said to them.

"Because we wanted to avoid something like this," answered the Sheriff.

Stiles shrugged his shoulders. "It's only for 72 hours," Stiles muttered. Though he silently thought it should be a lot longer.

Scott shook his head. "This is where Barrow came from. The guy who had a tumor inside of him full of flies." He looked at his friend's dad. "You don't know everything yet."

"I know enough. Nogitsunes, Kitsunes, Oni or whatever they're called."

Stiles bobbed his head. "No, that's all actually surprisingly correct."

His dad wasn't finished. "Scott, I saw an MRI that looked exactly like my wife's…and it terrifies me. I'm heading down to LA tomorrow to talk to a specialist."

"But why are you putting him in here?" Scott asked him.

"He's not," Stiles said. "It was my decision."

"Stiles, I can't help you if you're in here."

"Yeah and I can't hurt you," Stiles argued. "Look Scott, you don't understand. I…broke. I let, that thing in and people got hurt. People…died. And, with how I am," he tried very hard to not notice his father's scared face. "It can get in again."

"Please Stiles, Deaton, he's got some ideas. Argent is calling people," Scott said trying to not let his best friend do this. "We'll find something. And, if we can't-" Scott stopped right there. He knew that there was something that he could do. One thing that could help Stiles get passed his terminal illness.

But Stiles' eyes narrowed. He knew what Scott had in mind. But he also saw the fear and hesitation in his eyes so he went and leaned in. "If you can't then you do something for me…make sure that I never get out," he finished resolutely.

Stiles then pulled away and looked to his father so that they could move on inside. Scott just stood there, watching as Stiles just resigned himself to being locked up in a place like Eichen House without putting up any kind of fight. He kept his eye on him all the way up to when he walked in through the front door. He then went to his bike and moved to head on for Deaton's to keep looking for something to save his friend.

Stiles and his father walked on through the lobby of the institution. Stiles saw that there were some people around in smocks, some of them seemed to be in a few fugue states or quiet in a corner. Stiles didn't know if it was because of the nogitsune or some left over wolf instincts but this place felt...off. Cold, even though it was pretty warm. It made him get goosebumps.

"Mr. Stilinski," a voice called out, nearly making him jump. It was a doctor. "This way please," she said to them with a small calming smile that clashed with the atmosphere of this place. The two Stilinski men followed after the doctor into the office where she quickly handed the Sheriff the papers to sign before running down the rules. "First 72 hours there is no phone calls, no e-mails and no visitors. We will be taking you here for a brief physical. In the morning, you will be assessed by a staff psychologist, speak to a social worker and attending therapy."

The Sheriff looked at the bottom line where it asked for the signature of a parent or guardian. He eyed it for a moment as memories of the cellar came back to him and went and circled parent. He then looked over where he saw an orderly use a key card to open a door that wasn't made of wood but prison bars. He was starting to feel his stomach turn and throat close up. He swallowed and then shook his head as he put the pen down without signing. "I feel like we're forgetting something."

The doctor continued as if he didn't say anything by putting a pair of slippers on the table. "You'll be wearing these Stiles. No laces allowed. You don't have a belt do you?"

"No," Stiles mumbled shaking his head as he took the slippers.

She then placed a tray forward. "And please empty your pockets in here."

The Sheriff heard that metal bar door open again and his discomfort rose and his heartbeat started to speed up. "Uh, your pillow," he said suddenly. "Your pillow, we forgot your pillow."

Stiles gave his dad a look. He could see that he was starting to have second thoughts. "Dad, it's okay," he said as he finished taking his shoes off and was now putting the slippers on.

But his dad shook his head. "No, you won't be able to fall asleep. We've got to go back."

"It's fine dad. I don't need it." He really didn't. He had outgrown that childhood deficiency around the time that high school rolled around, which his father knew. Stiles knew what his dad was trying to do. He was trying to use this weak excuse in front of the doctor to try and talk both of them out of him doing this but Stiles couldn't back out. If he was going to protect everyone then he had to stay here.

But his dad was relentless. "I can't believe I forgot. Every time we stay in a hotel the first thing you pack is your pillow."

"You can bring it tomorrow," he politely argued in front of the doctor. "Sorry." He then went and kept emptying his stuff from his pockets.

But the sounds in the hallway and the surroundings were starting to further aggravate the Sheriff's nerves and he just stood up. "No, okay stop, that's enough. Get your stuff. I am not going to check you in here if you are not even going to get one good night's sleep."

But Stiles stood up, gently took him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Dad…I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks. And, pillow or not, I'm not going to get one any time soon." He then went and hugged him. "I have to do this, for everyone," he mumbled in his dad's ear.

That made the Sheriff return his son's hug, tightly. They then broke apart and Stiles gave his dad one last look before he moved to head off with the doctor. This time, it was the Sheriff who just stood and kept watching Stiles until he disappeared from his line of sight.

Stiles kept walking after the doctor as they went deeper into the building. Stiles caught some movement. He turned and saw the outline of a girl down the hall. It looked like she was watching him. Stiles didn't know why but, he felt something familiar even though he couldn't see her face.

"Stiles," the doctor said pulling his eyes away. "This way."

Stiles looked back and noticed that the girl was already disappearing from sight. He then moved to follow after the doctor as they climbed up some stairs. As they did, Stiles noticed that there was someone at the top.

"Hey, do you see that?" he asked her.

It looked like the person was tying something to the railing and he could faintly hear and make out some of what he was mumbling as he did. "What part of the bird is not in the sky?"

"Stiles, wait for me!" the doctor called out as Stiles rushed on ahead to get a closer look.

But he didn't stop. "That guy up there."

The guy was still mumbling that same thing for a few seconds before he started mumbling something else. "I can swim in the ocean but still remain dry." He kept repeating it, louder ever time as he finished tying what appeared to be a noose.

Stiles began to run faster. "Wait! Stop!" he screamed out at him. But the guy didn't stop. He climbed the railing, still ranting the same thing. "Somebody stop him!" Stiles yelled.

But the guy then jumped and fell but suddenly stopped when the noose caught him. He had hung himself and was dangling just a few feet above Stiles and the doctor's heads. There was some gasps and cries and Stiles looked down to see some people looking on from the bottom level. They were all still and watching the guy swinging but Stiles squinted his eyes when movement caught his eye. They then widened when he saw that it was the bandaged up form of nogitsune, snarling.

* * *

Allison had been having a hell of a week, emphasis on hell. First, there was what happened with Isaac, and now her father is wanted for multiple murder and on the run. Scott's father went to visit her and asked her many questions about the day that she had skipped school. She claimed that she had played hooky with Isaac so that they could sneak off and have a day together. Since Isaac was also listed as being gone that day and he couldn't really answer any questions right now, the story held. Though Agent McCall told her that she couldn't stay in the apartment by herself. She cleared it with Lydia and got the okay to stay with her and was also asked to immediately contact the police if she saw or heard from her father. Stiles' father approached her later and told her that Scott and Stiles explained about the nogitsune framing him but there was nothing that he could do, which she understood.

She was currently at the animal clinic with Scott and Deaton as they were going over what to do next with her father who was calling them from a pay phone.

"Did you have any trouble with Ikeda?" Argent's voice asked out from Deaton's phone that he had set to speaker.

"Only minor," Deaton said. "The white wolf was where you said it would be." Before he had left, Argent had given him all the information about the estate and security of Ikeda as he had been there before. Argent had also put in the recommendation of Deaton's skills so that Ikeda would hire him when his pet wolf had fallen. "But," Deaton sighed. "We have two problems now. First, the lichen is not a cure. It will wear off in a matter of days, at most. This particular Nogitsune is much older than the one you encountered, and much stronger. If it wasn't for this particular breed of wolf lichen, it probably wouldn't have worked at all."

"But while the lichen does work then the Oni won't go after Stiles, right?" Chris asked them.

"I hope. Eichen House has an unusual history. It might not be that safe for the Oni there as well."

Scott rose his eyes to look at Deaton. That must be the real reason while Stiles and his dad were adamant about him going there.

"And what's the second problem?" Chris asked.

"I checked with your contacts in Japan. The Yakuza boss you saw killed by the Oni never found the scroll."

"What scroll?" Scott asked them.

"A Shugendo scroll. Shugendo were the ascetic mystics of Japan," Deaton explained.

"The scroll had information about how to exorcise a Nogitsune," Chris finished telling them.

Scott's eyes widened. That was the first bit of good news he had heard in a while. "So we need to find that scroll."

Deaton nodded. "Exactly. And I did get a name of the man that last purchased it. Kincaid."

Now Allison's eyes widened. "He was with Katashi. He's the guy that met with Isaac to buy the gun."

"Sounds like Katashi wanted the scroll for himself," Deaton surmised.

"But Stilinski told me that they didn't find anything like it amongst his things. And a paranoid like Katashi would keep it close. Probably on him at all times."

Allison narrowed her eyes. On him at all times. Yet, the police didn't find anything on him at all, well save for- "What's a Shugendo scroll look like?" she asked suddenly.

Deaton moved to pull out a rolled up scroll in one of his drawers. "Something like this," he said handing it to her.

"Do these come in different sizes?" she asked still following her hunch.

He nodded. "Any size."

Now she nodded. "Then I think I know where it might be."

"Where?" asked her father.

"Katashi's silver prosthetic."

Argent's eyes widened. Yes. That definitely would fit in with Katashi's nature. "The police have the finger."

"Then we need to get it," Scott told them.

There was a beep from Argent's end of the phone. "Listen, I have to go."

"Dad, please be careful," Allison said quickly. "The police are still looking for you."

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be okay. Love you."

"Love you too," she said to him.

He then hung up the payphone and then moved to put up the hood of his sweater as he moved into the shadows. He moved quickly but carefully through the warehouse district until he came to where he was temporarily holding himself up. He went to the circuit breaker and turned on the power to the old Beacon Hills train depot where he moved to the recently re-abandoned train car where there was already some of his things set up for him. He couldn't help but think it ironic that this was where a pack of werewolves had held up to hide from him and his family when they were hunting them and now he was using it to hide from people looking for him.

* * *

Stiles was completely freaked out by what just happened as the doctor kept walking off as if someone hadn't just killed themselves right in front of them.

"Okay, I know that there's the whole 72 hour thing but I really need to use the phone," Stiles almost begged the doctor. He was starting to think that maybe his dad might've had the right idea after all.

But she didn't lose a step. "The accident that occurred is being taken care of."

Stiles' eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Accident? You're seriously referring to that as an accident?"

She moved to unlock one of the rooms. "Incident," she corrected before opening the door.

Stiles let a tense breath out. "Slightly better but I still need to use the phone. Just five minutes?" he asked as he was shown in. "Three minutes?"

"You'd like to go to sleep Stiles? Or, would you rather like to be introduced to our five point restraint system?" the doctor asked him with a sweet sense of warning that he thought would've made Gerard Argent proud.

"I would go with sleep." Stiles looked inside the room to see that the one who said that was a guy his age, completely strapped to his bed. He gave Stiles a smile and a slight wave.

The doctor then closed the door behind him.

"No, wait!" Stiles said before he stopped when he heard the locking click.

"I'm Oliver," his new roommate said politely.

He huffed. "Stiles."

"There was a suicide, huh?"

"Yeah," Stiles mumbled still keeping himself in front of the now locked door.

"Is it Monday? There's a much higher rate of suicides on Monday," Oliver said as if they were discussing the weather.

Stiles had enough. It was clear that if the dementia didn't go and drive him crazy then this place definitely would. "Okay, um could someone please let me out of here?! Someone, anyone!" he cried out desperately.

"I heard it by the way." Stiles turned to look at Oliver as it was clear that no one was going to come and open the door. "It happened at the stairwell, right?"

Stiles nodded as he went to sit in the opposite bed. "Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"I heard the echo," said Oliver.

"What do you mean?"

"It's this place. Something about the way that it was built. Everything echoes in here, eventually. That's why they call it, Echo House."

"Echo House?" Stiles mumbled.

Oliver then turned his head and seemingly went to sleep. Stiles just say there at the edge of his bed, staring up at the sky. He tried to keep himself settled by looking at the moon. It's light seemed to be the only thing that kept his nerves at ease these days. His mind went through many things as he sat there. Everything he'd been through for the last year. All the things they've learned about Kira and the Oni. All the things he did in the last few weeks because of the Nogitsune. As the moon vanished because of the rising sun, Stiles then began to see the guy who hung himself again. Heard what he had been mumbling…it was familiar. 'What part of a bird is not in the sky' and 'I can swim in the ocean but still remain dry'. They sounded a lot like…riddles. Now he definitely needed to get ahold of somebody. Scott, his father or Deaton. One of them would help.

Stiles was so focused on all of these thoughts that he didn't even notice Oliver was waking up until he spoke. "Have you been awake all night?" he asked.

"Yeah, I can't sleep without my pillow," Stiles mumbled nonchalantly. Oliver actually gave him a look before he turned and started to cough heavily. "Hey, you okay?" Stiles asked him.

"Swallowed a bug the other day. You ever do that? I keep coughing like it's still in my throat."

Stiles started to smile at this guy's bluntness. "That's disgusting Oliver. Hey, you don't have any idea when they unlock the doors, do you?"

Barely a second after he asked, there was a loud click.

"Now," said Oliver.

* * *

Derek was sitting in a holding cell with Agent McCall staring at him.

"I don't know where Argent is. Why would I?" Derek said to the man in a tired tone of voice.

"I don't know. Why did we find you with him in his apartment?"

Derek tightened his jaw as he moved to glare at his hands. As he sat there, his ears twitched as he heard the name Stilinski being said. He let his hearing branch out and heard one of the deputies talking.

"I'm sorry but the Sheriff is going to be out for the day. But he told us to fully cooperate with you."

"Fine," said another man. "Well, when he gets back inform him that this is now a federal investigation. All the evidence is to be moved by armored car to the bureau office in L.A. tonight."

Agent McCall moved to stand in front of Derek snapping him out of his hearing daze.

"Derek, I'm going to level with you. I don't really think you know where Argent is or had anything to do with Katashi. I know that you and he have a not so friendly history." That made Derek glare off to the side to not look at McCall. "I know all about it. How his sister Kate used you. What she did to your family. Even how she tried to hurt you again along with Stilinski's boy. All things that her brother might've even had a hand in from the looks of it. But, for some reason, I can't help but feel like you're choosing to protect him."

Derek moved his glare right to him. "Why would I want to protect Chris Argent?" Derek just kept his hard stare at Scott's father. Derek's question wasn't really for McCall but for himself. Why did he protect Argent from the bomb?

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking. Are you scared of what Argent might do to you if you say anything? If you are, you don't have to be."

Derek let a loud puff of air from his nose. "Argent doesn't scare me."

Agent McCall rose his eyebrows a bit. "Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Derek looked away from him. Agent McCall then backed away. "Well, if you think of anything Derek, then feel free to call me. A friend of yours is waiting to pick you up outside. Since you haven't formally been charged with anything you're free to go," he explained when Derek narrowed his eyes at him in confusion.

"What friend?"

Derek was then escorted to the front area of the station where Alan Deaton was waiting patiently.

* * *

Stiles was taking a walk through the institution, trying to find a way to call his father, and Oliver had decided to shadow him. Oliver was walking in step with him giving him the low down of life in Echo House.

"Most of the people here are okay. The violent ones are in closed unit." He then pointed to a girl sitting with her arms enclosed around her legs by a corner. "That's Hilary, she has OCD." He then pointed to a guy being led by the arm by an orderly. "That's Gary, thinks he's Jesus Christ." He then pointed to a guy leaning on a support beam that was just rubbing at his arm obsessively. "Dan, he's also Jesus." Then he pointed to a girl on a couch. "That's Mary."

"Mary Magdalene?" Stiles guessed though not really caring as he had finally spotted a payphone.

"No, she's also Jesus. You'd be surprised how many Jesuses we get."

"Great," Stiles huffed as he stopped because he saw that a girl was already using it.

Oliver read his impatience. "Hey, why do you want to use the phone so bad anyway?"

"Because after one night in this place, I've changed my mind about it being safe for me or anyone, ever." Stiles wasn't going to stay here another minute if he could help it. Even in the bright sunlight, this place still sent chills down his spine.

"No, I think you're wrong." Stiles turned and saw that the girl on the phone was starting to speak louder. "I think I should tell them. They should know the story. They should know the whole story." Stiles shook his head to try and lose the craziness that was pouring at him from this girl. "I have to…because one of them, the wild poisoned one, is standing right behind me."

At that, Stiles turned to look back at the girl. How did this girl know that? Know that he was poisoned, and even sound like she knew that he used to be a werewolf too. He watched as the girl hung up the phone and move off.

"Who was that?" he asked as he moved for the now empty phone.

"Oh, that's Meredith." Oliver shrugged. "She's a little weird."

Stiles gave him a pointed look. "You're a little weird. She's a lot weird." And that kind of weird usually meant trouble. He took the phone but found there was no dial tone. "It's dead."

Oliver nodded. "Yeah. They turn off all the phones for 24 hours after a suicide."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" he asked him, annoyed.

"You didn't ask," Oliver said as if it was obvious.

"Thanks." Stiles then slammed the phone harder than necessary. He gave a look at Meredith as she walked off. So, she wasn't talking to anyone but it was clear that she had something to say. That, or this place was already starting to get to him.

"Wait, where are you going?" Oliver asked as Stiles started to stomp off.

"I'm going to go and get myself the hell out of this nut house," he said resolutely.

Oliver let out a nervous laugh. "That's not really the appropriate way to describe a facility like this."

Stiles just kept walking until he spotted a familiar wave of brown hair. He caught a glimpse of the girl's face and he stopped. "Malia?" She turned fully around and saw that it was Malia. Malia Tate. Stiles had a flash from last night and realized that Malia was the one who had been watching him when he had first come in. He wondered what she was doing here. She was just staring at him with a surprised look on her face. "Uh hey, it's Stiles. Do you remember me? I'm friends with Scott. My dad's the Sheriff. Remember we helped you out and my dad-"

But he didn't finish as Malia went and threw a punch across his face. A second later, they were surrounded by orderlies.

"Malia!" one of them, a big one, yelled as he went to take her arms and pull them behind her.

Another orderly came behind Stiles and pushed him to the ground to restrain him.

"Hey," Stiles said trying to fight through his hold. " _She_ hit _me_!"

Malia struggled and so another one came to help the first one.

"Another one like this Malia and you head to the closed unit," the big orderly restraining Malia spat out. He and his fellow orderly then lifted Malia and moved to carry her away.

Stiles was still being restrained and pushed to the ground. More than anything, he wished he had his old strength back. "Okay, stop. I didn't do anything," he argued with the guy who didn't loosen his grip on him. "Stop!"

Stiles tilted his head but he froze when he took a good look at the floor that he was being pushed against. The glass fixtures built into it were familiar. It took a moment but then it came back to him. They were the glass fixtures that helped provide the source of light for the basement that he had been kept by the Nogitsune in his hallucination when he had disappeared.

"Enough!" a new voice shouted out at the orderly. It was Ms. Morrell. "Enough!" The man then let Stiles go and stepped away from him. She then bent down next to Stiles who was still staring at the floor. She noticed the look on his face. "Stiles," she said making him look up at her. "You saw something, didn't you?"

"The basement. I've been down there before."

It wasn't just a simple hallucination that he had experienced. It was a real place that he had gone to. One that he had never even seen before until right now. There had to be a reason that he had seen that basement and if he was going to find out what it was, he had to go down there. It might hold answers to why he had been sent there and why it was important to the Nogitsune.

* * *

Derek was picked up at station by Deaton and he took him to the animal clinic. Derek wondered what they were doing there as Deaton just waited by his desk, staring at the clock. When it the hour, the phone rang and he went to put it to speaker.

"I'm here with Derek. Go ahead," he said.

Chris voice was then heard through the speakers. "They let you out?" he asked.

"They had no reason to keep holding me," Derek said as he looked at the phone. "But I did manage to hear something before they processed me out. They're moving all the evidence from the station. Katashi's murder has become a federal investigation now so all of it is being moved to a federal lockup."

"Including Katashi's prosthetic finger with the scroll inside," Deaton said. "We need it."

"Scott and the others can get it," Derek said unflinchingly. He knew by now to not underestimate Scott when one of his loved ones was on the line.

"And what if he can't?" Argent's voice sounded off. "What if Scott can't get the scroll or what if he does and it doesn't have anything on it we can use? What then?" There was a moment of silence as Deaton and Derek shared a look and didn't say anything. "This isn't the first time that we've been in a situation like this."

"Yeah, but we got lucky with Jackson," Derek mumbled. "What happens when you don't get lucky?"

"I guess it depends on how much or how little of Stiles is left." Chris said back. "Alan, you knew that Stiles was the Nogitsune from the start, didn't you?"

That made Derek give him a hard stare while Deaton just kept his eyes on the phone. "No, not at first. Like everyone else, I was surprised and thrown when Stiles was seemingly not a werewolf anymore. I knew that was supposed to be impossible. There are rules and I knew that power like what Stiles had couldn't just vanish. It leaving Stiles meant that it either was transferred, or transformed. I was looking into seeing if perhaps someone in Scott's pack might've absorbed it unknowingly when the Oni appeared. When Scott told me about he and his friends being attacked, as well as Kira being a Kitsune, that's when I knew."

"But how is this possible?" Derek asked him. "No one can become two things at once. It's why Lydia didn't turn from the bite. She was already a Banshee, her power was just dormant. Stiles was already a wolf. How could he have taken by a fox when he was already something else?"

Deaton shook his head. "I'm not sure. Right now, all I have are theories. To understand completely this might be something we might have to ask the Nogitsune about."

"Well talking with the Nogitsune to settle our curiosity shouldn't be a priority," Chris argued. "It should be stopping it."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "You mean killing it. You can't kill it without killing Stiles."

Chris sighed through the phone. "Have you ever heard of the Beserkers?"

Derek had. "Dramatic Warriors. They wore the skins of bears to channel their ferocity."

"Not quite," said Alan. "They didn't channel their ferocity, they channeled their very spirit. They literally became ferocious beasts."

"He's right," said Chris. "A couple of years ago a family came to us with their son. This group of teenagers, they were doing all sorts of rituals with animal skins. Somehow, they actually tapped into it. But with Beserkers, it's different. They're not tempered by the moon."

"He killed people," Derek guessed.

"Tore them apart. Eventually I had to tell the family that their son was gone. It took three of us to take him down. And when it was over, I felt no remorse. None. I knew that the kid was long gone."

At that, Derek felt his hand clenching at his side. "And would you feel remorse if you had to kill Stiles?"

"Stiles? Yes...but not a Nogitsune," he answered sternly.

Deaton's eyes left the phone and fell upon Derek's shaking hand.

* * *

Stiles was sitting in a therapy session with about a dozen others. One of them was Malia who he had made sure to be sitting on the opposite side from. The one who was heading the session was Ms. Morrell.

"I want to go back to the topic of guilt today. It might surprise you to hear me say that guilt is a good thing. It's a rather mature emotion." That had a few of them looking away from Morrell, namely Stiles and Malia. Morrell noticed that. She looked over at the girl first. "Malia, you said something about guilt the other day. Said it came with a, visceral reaction."

"I said it made me feel sick to my stomach," she said out to everyone.

Stiles looked away from Malia as next to him Oliver started to cough again.

Morrell nodded. "Guilt often becomes physical. You feel it in your gut. It's not just psychological."

Stiles felt a small chilling breeze hit him at his shoulder and he looked over and his eyes widened when he saw a patient speaking with a doctor. A doctor that looked like the Nogitsune. It turned away from the patient and looked straight at him making Stiles turn away quickly.

"How does guilt make you feel Stiles?" Morrell asked him.

Stiles cleared his throat and looked back at her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Guilt," she said looking calmly at him. "How does it make you feel?"

"Nervous," he said.

"Like a sense of urgency?" she asked him and he softly nodded. "You feel a need to make up for something you've done. To apologize."

Stiles, out of the corner of his eye, could see the Nogitsune leering at him from the other side of the room. He felt his nervousness spike a bit as his hand started to shake. He noticed that a kid next to him was shaking his hand too. His hand that was covered in gauze. Stiles looked away. Across the circle, Meredith was calmly watching him.

"What do you call someone that feels no guilt whatsoever?" Morrell asked the group as a whole.

Oliver shakily rose his hand. "Sociopath?"

She nodded. "That's right Oliver." Morrell then looked over at Stiles was starting to rub incessantly at his neck, which had started to sprout a veiny looking rash at his neck. At the sight of it, she tensed up. "I'm sorry everyone, but we need to take a break." She then stood up but kept her gaze on Stiles who looked up at her. "Come with me Stiles. I'd like to talk to you for a minute," she said politely but resolutely.

Stiles stood up but he saw that the chair that Morrell had just vacated now had someone sitting in it. The Nogitsune. He quickly moved his eyes to Morrell and followed after her as she started walking. They then started to head out with Malia narrowing her eyes at Stiles' back as it moved down the hall. Meredith also followed Stiles, calmly with an unblinking gaze. As for Oliver he narrowed his eyes as they left before turning to look at Morrell's empty chair. His jaw tightened as he stared at it.

Stiles followed Morrell, still rubbing at the side of his neck. "So you went from working as a guidance counselor at a high school to a counselor at a loony bin. Is that moving up or down?" he muttered as she led him to her office.

She didn't answer him. She just stopped in front of a door and then unlocked it. "Step inside." He then went in and she closed the door behind him. "Look at the mirror, at the side of your neck," she told him.

Stiles saw that there was a mirror stand set up at the side of the room and looked at it. He saw the exposed veins at the side of his neck where he had been feeling some irritation from lately. "What is that?"

She then moved to lift the back of his shirt to see that it was spreading from his neck to his back. "It's called a Lichtenberg Figure. They appear in lightning strike victims." Stiles then moved to re-cover his back. "The fact that they're appearing on you after a shot of wolf lichen is both significant and strange."

"By significant and strange, do you mean hopeful and optimistic?" he asked even though her tone was anything but.

"The injection weakened the fox possessing you. It's been crippled but it won't stay down for too long." She moved to a cabinet to take out a bottle. "When the marks fade, the Nogitsune's grip over you will return." She then moved to give the bottle to him.

Stiles saw they were medication. "What are these? Sleeping pills?"

"Amphetamines. Sleeping is exactly what you don't want to do. You're vulnerable when you get to sleep."

Stiles remembered that when all of this first started, it was when he went to sleep that those mysterious things had happened to him like sleepwalking and memory loss. It sounded like the Nogitsune would have to start from the beginning with him. "So, I just have to stay awake?"

"For now," she nodded. "If your friends haven't figured out something by the time those marks are gone, I'll come find you."

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "To do what?"

"Give you an injection." She then held up a vial. "Pen Chromium Bromine. It causes respiratory paralysis."

"Yeah, that sounds like a fancy way of saying death," he said eyeing it.

She nodded. "It's used for lethal injection, yes."

"So, if the Nogitsune takes over…you're going to kill me."

"I'm going to do what I've always done, maintain the balance."

Stiles sighed. So far, he'd only been seeing the nogitsune randomly but it hadn't really been doing anything to him like last time. But when the lichen wears off, he'll be right back at square one. "How long do I have? Until the marks fade?"

"Two days, at most," she said unflinchingly.

Stiles nodded. He remembered seeing all those dead people. The ones that were left in the wake of Jackson's reign of terror as the Kanima. He remembered how he felt about risking him killing more people and he wouldn't be a hypocrite now. The Nogitsune had already hurt and killed a lot of people already. He didn't want to add more to the list. Besides, he was dying anyway. He had what his mother had: Frontal temporal dementia. He remembered how it was to see his mother slowly wither and die in front of him. He didn't want his friends and especially his father to suffer through that hell again. At least with him here, he wouldn't have to make any of them go through that. "Fine. Thanks for the illicit drugs." He then pocketed the bottle she gave him and then moved to leave. "I've missed our talks."

"Stiles," she said making him stop. "Stay awake."

Stiles then moved for the doorknob but didn't turn it just yet. "You were wrong by the way," he mumbled to her.

"What about, Stiles?" she asked him softly.

"At the session. That guilt was a good thing. It was my guilt for the things I didn't do that went on to do the things that I did."

"I think you might be confusing guilt with blame Stiles. You may feel guilt for what has happened or didn't happen, but I can assure you that you aren't to blame."

Stiles' eyes narrowed up at the door. "Yes I am."

Then he went and left the room. Morrell stared after him with that same calculating look but her eyes had softened a bit.

Stiles then moved off but he didn't head back for the recreation hall. He moved off to find his way towards the basement level. That had to be where the room was where he found the Nogitsune. There was something in that room that was important and he had to find out what. It might help to finally stop this thing. He checked the halls and silently moved through them until he found the corridor where the stairs were to gain access. He went for the door and tried to open it, but he found it locked. He tried to push his way in but the door wouldn't give.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked spooking him.

Stiles gasped but relaxed when he saw that it was just Oliver. "Uh, I just need to get through here. To the basement."

Oliver smiled at him. "Doctors don't even have a key to this door. Only Brunski."

"Is that the head orderly?"

Oliver nodded. "He's got keys to everything here."

Stiles had to get those keys. "Does he keep them on him all the time?" he asked.

Oliver nodded as his smile turned a little mischievous. "If you want them…you're probably going to have to find a way to trick him."

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Yeah well a part of me is getting really good at playing tricks," he said spitefully.

Stiles then moved to head on off. Oliver looked over at him walking away with a small, dark smile on his face.

* * *

There was a knock on the apartment door and Allison moved to answer it. Scott and the twins were there to help with the plan for getting the scroll from the station.

"Deaton just called me. He said that my dad and Derek told him that all the Katashi evidence was being moved to federal lockup by armored car. Probably within the next few hours," she told them as she led them inside to where Lydia was waiting.

That made all three of the wolves freeze.

"We're going to rob an armored car?" Ethan asked them.

Lydia shared a look with Allison. "Well…we're going to try."

* * *

Stiles went to try and splash some water on his face. He wanted to try and stay awake as long as possible without resorting to using the pills to try and buy as much time as he could before he could get into that basement.

"Okay," he mumbled as he rubbed at his face. "You just have to stay awake Stiles. Just stay-" Stiles stopped as he realized that he wasn't alone. There was water running from a shower. He turned to look and saw that the one with him in the bathroom was Malia. She was the one in the shower, which had nothing to cover her from his sight. He quickly turned away but met the sight again from the mirror in front of him. There was a heavy amount of steam floating around but it did little to obscure her.

Malia just watched Stiles panic before she looked away from him. "Don't worry Stiles, you didn't just walk into the girls room."

"Thank god," he said to her trying not to stare. "Um, so what are you doing in the boys room?"

"Showering," she told him.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "I can see that." But he then realized how that sounded. "I mean, I saw that. Well, I didn't see anything really, there was too much steam," he said quickly. And then he realized how _that_ sounded. "Not that I prefer there to be less steam."

Malia finally cut in. "Stiles, I don't care. In the woods there was no girls or boys room. And, if you really need to know, they keep the water temperature in the girls room too low. It's much hotter here. Ever since I turned back to human I just can't seem to get warm."

Stiles heard the bite in her words at that. "Well, maybe you might have a low core temp. You could just be sick?"

"I used to have a fur coat."

He tilted his head. "Or it could be that. Yeah, it's probably that."

Malia then went to shut the water off and reach for a towel. Stiles' eyes wandered a bit in her direction though he poorly tried to make it look like he wasn't looking.

Which obviously didn't work as Malia gave him a look. "Now you're staring," she pointed out before she went to wrap the towel around her nonchalantly.

"No, I'm not," he tried to deny as he turned his head a bit to try and look away.

"Then what are you doing?"

Stiles waited for a moment until he was sure that Malia finished covering herself before he went to look at her. "Uh, well, I was kind of wondering why you punched me."

Malia narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you think I was going to thank you?"

"Well, maybe. We did kind of save your life," he said a little defensively.

She stared for a moment before she nodded. "You're right Stiles. Thank you." Stiles face softened a bit but Malia wasn't done. "Thanks for invading my home. For putting me on the run. For turning me back to human, so that I could look at my father every day and try to figure out how to explain to him that the reason that my mother and sister are dead is because I almost ate them on a full moon. Thank you so very much," she finished a bit heatedly.

Stiles narrowed his eyes. He remembered what his father said about what he learned happen on that night and had told Stiles not to say anything to anyone. But, seeing the anger and guilt in Malia's eyes, which unlike him she didn't deserve, he couldn't not say anything. He wanted to help someone again, in any way that he could with the time he had left. "You didn't," he mumbled.

Malia narrowed her eyes deeper. "What?"

Stiles' face hardened as he stared at her. "Your mother and sister. You didn't kill them Malia."

Malia's face softened up. Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened slightly. "What? What are talking about?"

"My father and I did some digging. That full moon, the three of you were run off the road by someone, or something. You and your family were attacked."

"What?" she gasped before moving to grab him by the shirt. "By who?"

Stiles just shook his head. "We don't know."

She then let go of him. Her eyes glazed over a bit before she shook her head. "No, I remember. I remember attacking them. Clawing them. I always see it. Every night," she muttered almost to herself.

Stiles felt his hands clench into fists. "Malia, you were only eight years old when it happened. You were young and scared. The biting and clawing you remember must've been you trying to pull your mother and sister from the car after you changed. Malia, you were trying to save them." Stiles then remembered that Malia's eyes were blue. He didn't know if the rules about eyes turning blue for werewolves was the same for werecoyotes. After all, Kira is a Kitsune and her eyes were orange and his own eyes were pitch black when the Nogitsune had him. Werecoyotes eyes could be naturally blue but if they did change it must've been because Malia might've put too much power in her jaws or claws as she was trying to help her mother and sister as they were dying. But that didn't make it her fault that they were dead.

Malia went to wipe at her face with a part of her towel, trying to look like she was drying it instead of wiping tears. "Look…thanks for telling me this but it doesn't change anything. I don't want to be like this. Do you know of a way that I can change back?"

Stiles leaned back a bit. "You want to go back to being a coyote?" Stiles then had a thought. Malia was a shapeshifter, and even though she wasn't a werewolf, that didn't mean that she was too different. She would share similarities like strength, healing and such. She could help him and…it might be possible to help her gain control of her abilities, like how he and Scott learned to control theirs.

Malia noticed the look in his eyes. "What?"

"I think I know someone that could help teach you, but I need your help."

"With what?"

"I need to get to the basement but I need the keys from that orderly, the big one."

Malia knew who Stiles was talking about all too well. "Brunski."

He nodded. "If you help me then I'll help you."

Malia let out a small breath but she slowly nodded back.


	16. Echo House part 2

Chapter 16: Echo House part 2

Scott was looking over the street map as he went over what Allison and Lydia came up with. He could only shake his head as he mentally went over it one more time.

"This is a bad plan," he said finally.

Lydia tilted her head a bit. "It's not that bad," she said with a tone that clearly said she didn't fully believe that.

"It's not that good," Ethan put in.

Lydia sighed. "None of us know the route that they're going to take. If Allison could get one of her dad's GPS trackers on the armored car then we could follow it."

Allison nodded and then pointed to the bridge on the map. "So, when it gets here-"

"We attack them," Aiden finished for her.

Lydia turned to give him a look. "No. You and your brother's bikes will be on the road, looking like you guys got into an accident. So, when the driver pulls over to help-"

"We attack them," Aiden finished for her.

"No!" both Lydia and Allison shouted at him together.

Scott sighed over at Aiden and Ethan noticed which made him rub at his eyes at how his brother wasn't helping their situation any.

"You'll distract him," Lydia continued. "And Scott will break open the back door."

Scott got taken aback at his part of the plan. "I hope."

Lydia gave him a look before turning to Ethan. "And you'll get Katashi's finger."

"It's not his actual finger, is it?" he asked nervously.

Lydia sighed. "We are so out of our league."

Scott had to admit, she was right. Usually, it was Stiles who went and came up with these type of plans. He had a way of making and explaining them so that everyone would truly believe they would work, even the ones that ended up not working out.

"Why aren't we going to Stilinski for help?" Ethan asked everyone.

"Because if he gets caught then it's the Sheriff who is tampering with federal evidence." And Scott knew that Stiles' dad had enough problems to deal with as it was.

"We can do this. Okay? This is going to work," Allison spoke out. "This has to work. We're losing Stiles. My dad is on the run, wanted for murder. We _need_ to do this."

Scott nodded. So did Lydia. Ethan and Aiden shared a look with one another before they nodded as well. They might still believe that this was a longshot, but now they had the will to give it a try.

* * *

The lounge area was full of people and noise as they watched Oliver pushing Malia to the ground before moving to keep her from getting back up.

"You're lying!" he screamed at her. "You're a liar!"

The noise quickly drew the attention from the orderlies and they ran at breakneck pace over for them.

"Get this nutjob off of me!" Malia hissed at them.

"No! You're a liar!" Oliver spat as Brunski and another orderly went and started to pull Oliver off. "She said they drill holes in your head. She said they would put holes in my head!" he cried as he was dragged off.

"Okay?" Stiles mumbled as he went over and helped Malia to her feet.

Malia subtly put the keys in his hand which he quickly pocketed. The two of them went off and looked at Oliver who sent them a wide smile before he resumed fighting against the orderlies' grip.

"No, please. Come on, please don't! Don't put holes in my head!" Oliver cried as he was led away.

Stiles then loosened his hold on Malia who had a big smile on her face as she watched Oliver being carried off kicking and screaming. "You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah. That was…fun," she breathed out to him with a breathless smile.

Stiles let a small grin creep on his face at that.

* * *

Chris had snuck off for the secret lockup that his family had set up when they first came to Beacon Hills. Thankfully, it had been registered under an unknown alias in case this type of situation ever came up. Back then, Chris didn't think that it would actually come into use. Of course back then Chris not only had more weapons but more help. Now it was just him and Allison. He gathered some of the guns and tools that he thought he would need, as well as one of the encrypted phones that were stored here, and made his way back for the abandoned train depot.

He closed the rusted door and started on his way down into the main part of the depot. As he got to the open, the light suddenly turned on. Chris barely had time to drop his duffle bag of weapons when he felt a pair of arms reach for him. Chris went and pushed himself and his attacker into the nearby wall. The force made the man loosen his grip on Chris who then went and sent a hard punch across his jaw. The man quickly brought out a gun but Chris grabbed at the guy's wrist and forced him to point the gun up as they struggled against one another. There were a pair of clicks and Chris turned to see two men with automatic guns pointing at them.

"Enough," an accented but stern voice sounded out.

The men eased themselves up and then parted to give Chris a good view up ahead. He let the guy's arm go and straightened up at the sight of the Araya Calavera sitting calmly at the table he had set up in front of the train car. He narrowed his eyes despite the calm face the she was wearing as she looked at him.

"Considering that we haven't spoken to one another in close to eight years, I can assume that you didn't just decide to drop in for a visit. So, forgive me if I can't help but be a little concerned," he said to her sternly.

Araya kept the soft look on her face. "Hello Christoph," she said before nodding to the chair in front of her. "Sit. We need to talk."

"Talk?" Chris said as he took the seat across from her. "That's why you came all the way here? To talk? Talk about what? The code?"

Araya's expression went hard at the tone that Chris used when he brought up the code. "It's a code of honor. Such things bind our families. They can't be abandoned so lightly."

Now Chris' expression went harder. "Where was the honor in my wife taking her life?"

"She honored us all with her sacrifice," she told him calmly.

"She would've honored our daughter, by living!" he spat back.

If anything, the last couple of weeks had Chris re-assessing everything he believed when it came to that part of the code. At one time, yes, he completely stood behind the rule that called for a hunter's life to be forfeit when they were bitten. It prevented them from becoming the very things that they were called to hunt. Yet, after what happened to his wife, what it did to his family, he began to question that. Especially seeing as what his father, sister and what his daughter nearly had become without getting bitten. Then, there was Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski. They were wolves and yet their parents stood firmly by them. In fact, it seemed like the bite had actually made them become even closer to their parents. Their families got to be stronger while his family became splintered because they threw his wife's life away without question.

Araya kept her cool though. "And are you honoring your daughter now Chris? Hiding in this place?" she said giving the depot another look and made her face tighten a bit as she gave the air a sniff. "I can still smell it. The leftover stench of, el lobo."

"Well my choices for a place to hold up are limited so I can't afford to be picky," he told her stiffly.

"Ah and your sweet mijita's choices for friends can use some work from what I hear."

Chris let a small breath loose. "The situation is complicated."

"I see that your family is a complicated one though. You and allowing your daughter to be around those dogs. Then there's your father. Your wife. Your sister."

Now Chris was glaring at her. Something wasn't right. Araya wouldn't waste time with coming all this way to give him a lecture. "What are you really doing here? Is this really about Allison? What are you fishing for?"

Araya smirked at him before she moved to stand up. "I don't fish mijo. I hunt."

* * *

Stiles made his way for the basement door and began to try to open the door. Unfortunately, Stiles didn't know which key was the one. And it looked like there were at least two dozen of them. He tried one after the other but the door wouldn't open.

"Damn, he really does have keys to _everything_ ," he mumbled heatedly as he couldn't open the door and moved to try another key.

But then a hand slammed right on his shoulder blade. It was Brunski. "I do," he said happily at him. Stiles let out a defeated huff before he held the keys up to him. Brunski went to snatch them away. "But no one has the key to _that_ room."

He then went and yanked Stiles away from the door before he led him off. Stiles tried to fight through Brunski's grip on him but the man was too strong for him. His tight grip on him began to put a painful pressure on his arms in his weakening state. He flagged down two orderlies on the way and they grabbed him as Brunski led them off further into the institution. Their joint grip was even more stronger than Brunski's was and Stiles' couldn't move to get away from them. Stiles then noticed that they were in a part of Eichen House that he didn't recognize.

"Yeah, uh I don't think my room is this way," Stiles said to them.

Brunski let an amused snort loose as he kept leading the way without stopping. Stiles began to notice that the windows of each of these rooms were barred up. They finally stopped at one of them and Brunski went to open it.

"You're not going to your room tonight. For you, it's the quiet room little man," he said as the orderlies led Stiles in. He then lifted the bottle of pills that he took from Stiles' pocket. "Want to tell us where you got these?"

"Vending machine," Stiles snipped out even though he was still being held by his arms.

Brunski shook his head in amusement as he reached for a syringe. "I always love the sarcastic ones." He then held the needle out to one of the others. "Give him five of Haldol," he told him.

Stiles' eyes widened as he tried to back away but the orderly still holding him tightened his grip and moved to keep him from moving. "What is that?" Stiles cried out. "Is that a sedative?" Stiles' heart start racing. "Hold on, no. I can't go to sleep. Okay, I'm sorry," he said trying to keep fighting to get away. "Get off, stop!" But the orderly went and stuck the syringe and pumped him full of the sedative. Immediately, Stiles started to feel his body get heavier and the orderlies dropped him. "No, you don't understand," he mumbled weakly as they started to walk away. "I can't…can't fall asleep. You don't get it, I have…to stay awake." But Stiles found himself lying flat on the floor as his vision started to blur. His last clear image was of Brunski smirking and laughing down at him. Then everything went black.

* * *

Scott grabbed his helmet and began to move out for his back door so that he could rendezvous with the others for the plan. He opened it and froze when he saw Kira standing right behind it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked surprised.

"I want to help," she told him.

"Uh, I'm not sure that's a great idea," he told her as she walked on in.

She stopped and looked over at him. "Because of my mother?"

After Kira had been revived after she had been knocked out by the Nogitsune, she quickly told Scott about how it was her mother that had been behind the Oni's attacks on them. Everyone had been shocked to learn about that. Kira quickly said that she didn't know anything and Scott believed her.

And he told her as much. "No, I know that's not your fault."

She then went to fold her arms. "Yeah, well it still feels like it is. I can't help but feel a little responsible for what happened to Stiles. And, if I can help all of you help him, shouldn't I?"

Scott admired that she wanted to help them but he couldn't have her come along on this. He could see that Kira was too new to all of this and with all of them and their experience, this was still going to be hard. "People who help us usually end up getting hurt. Badly."

"Yeah, but I've been practicing." She then moved to open her bag.

"Practicing what?"

She smiled at him. "I've been picking this up really fast. Like, crazy fast." She then whipped out a sword and sliced the air where it made a metallic ring sound through the room.

Scott backed away as Kira's strike nearly got him. His eyes widened at the sight of it and at Kira's smile dropping into a horrified gasp. "You sure about that?"

"Sorry," she quickly apologized. But her face became focused again as she took a deep breath. "Watch."

She then started to twirl the sword in the air. Scott would admit that he didn't know much when it came to swordsmanship but he thought that Kira's movements were solid. It almost reminded him of how the Oni had used their swords against them. She then finished with a confident look on her face.

He nodded. "Okay, you're coming."

* * *

Stiles slowly opened his eyes to find that he was looking into soft beams of light. He then took a moment to realize that he was locked in some kind of a locker. He began to try to push on the door and then pound on it to get himself out.

"Hey, let me out. Let me out!" he screamed.

But he stopped when a shadow passed through. Stiles' eyes widened when he saw that it was the Nogitsune in its bandaged form. Stiles quickly moved to let his back hit the back of the locker and quieted himself down.

The Nogitsune walked across from the locker to the others and began to move its bandaged hands across the locks. "Let me in," he said to Stiles.

Stiles grit his teeth. "What?"

"You know," the Nogitsune slurred out.

Stiles shook his head. "Screw you, and your stupid riddles," he bit out.

But the Nogitsune slammed its hand at the locker next to him in anger. "No riddle this time!" it spat out in mild anger. "You already know what it means. You can't hide from me."

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "No. I can't…but you won't have me. You leave me alone!"

The Nogitsune moved like lightning to the front of the locker. "Let me in!" it roared.

"NO!" Stiles roared back.

The next thing Stiles knew, he was being grabbed but not by the Nogitsune, by Malia.

"No, no, no," she said quickly at him as she kept him from shaking around too much. "Shh, shut up," she hissed at him.

Stiles let himself breathe as he realized that he was back in the quiet room at Eichen House. He saw that the door was wide open. Stiles felt his heart settle and his nerves start to loosen up as he stared into Malia's urgent face. "How did you get in here?" he asked.

"I broke the lock. If I concentrate I can be pretty strong," she said with a mild smile. "Get up." She then moved to pick him up. "There's another way into the basement. Through the closed unit. Where they keep the real psychos." She then moved to lead the way.

"Oh, fun," Stiles coughed out before he followed after her.

* * *

Allison staked the armored car with her targeting eyepiece on her crossbow. She was thankful that the police only searched her father's room and office. While most of the weapons were kept in those two rooms, she kept her crossbow and longbow hidden in her room which weren't searched. She watched as the driver was given the send off and went to head for the driver's seat.

"You're up," she said over to Kira.

Kira nodded as she looked down at the tracker that she had in her hand. Since Kira seemed to be much faster than them, Scott decided to let it be her to move in and tag the armored car with it. Kira moved off and quickly stuck the tracker underneath the bumper. She smiled as she felt a rush of adrenaline in doing this kind of thing but it fell away when she heard the sound of the precinct's back door opening. She quickly moved out of sight as Deputy Parrish started to make his way over. Scott and Allison watched nervously as Parrish made his way over to the van but thankfully moved to the opposite direction from where Kira was in order to get the passenger side.

He opened the door as he noticed that the driver hadn't even started the car up yet. "Alright, come on. We've got to get-"

But he stopped when he saw that the driver had been knocked out and had a bloody gash on his head. Parrish quickly brought out his gun and started to search around the van for the one that attacked the driver. He got around to the back where Kira was hiding behind one of the tires.

Scott's eyes widened as Parrish was close to finding Kira. "We have to do something," he breathed over to Allison.

Parrish was a few steps from finding Kira when the back doors suddenly flew open and he was grabbed by his head and then knocked out. Scott narrowed his eyes at the guy that attacked while Allison's widened.

"Who the hell is that?" Scott asked.

"Kincaid," Allison breathed. "He worked for Katashi."

Scott remembered the name from Deaton mentioning it. "The guy that bought the scroll?" He then saw that Kincaid began to dig into the evidence. "What's he looking for?"

Allison loaded her bow. "The same thing we are."

Kincaid began digging into the evidence until he found a small baggie with the silver prosthetic in it. He smiled as he took it out until he turned and saw that he wasn't alone anymore. Scott stood calmly as he stared Kincaid down while Allison was at his side with the crossbow armed and pointed at him.

"We need that finger," Scott said to him.

Kincaid's gaze went from Scott to Allison who held her bow tightly as she kept it aimed right at him. "Ah, Miss Argent, right? I heard about what happened to your father. Sorry about that." His tone was anything but sorry.

"Why did you tell the FBI that my father was the one that killed Katashi?" she asked him roughly. "You know he didn't do it?"

"And tell them what? That instead Katashi and a good many of his security had been killed by a hooded man that moved like a blur and that I was shot through a window with purple sparks that came out from his hands? Your father's little visit was the perfect explanation. Just be glad that your name wasn't dropped too little girl, though it's not too late for that."

Allison's stance tightened but Scott held his hand out to her to stop her from lashing out. "Forget that. Just let us have that finger."

Kincaid just smirked at the two of them. "Why should I give it to you?"

"There's a briefcase with 150,000 dollars in it," Allison told him, not dropping her crossbow in the slightest.

Kincaid just held the finger to them so that they could see it better. "The scroll inside this prosthetic finger is worth 3 million," he countered.

Scott's jaw hardened as he now glared at Kincaid. "Give me the finger," he said deepening his voice. That just made Kincaid and Allison send him a look which made Scott's hard expression soften as he realized how that just sounded. "You know what I mean," he said quickly.

But Kincaid didn't look like he was going to part with the finger at all. Kira thought as much as she had silently been climbing up the armored car and positioned herself just above Kincaid. She then went and jumped for him but he didn't even flinch as she grabbed onto him. He simply grabbed at her arm and flipped her off of him and threw her to the ground.

Kincaid then faced them with his blue eyes and fangs appearing to the surface. "I guess negotiations are over." He then roared at them.

"Guess so," Scott said as he shifted too and moved in to try and snatch the finger.

But Kincaid sent a kick at Scott's chest and had him tumbling down back first into the pavement. Allison went to shoot the arrow in her crossbow into Kincaid's arm. He hardly flinched from the shot or from when he pulled the arrow out and then just tossed it aside. Allison discarded her crossbow and went to throw a punch at Kincaid but he caught her arm and moved his other to grab her by the neck. He then threw her off to the side. Kira got up and tried to grab at the finger but Kincaid dodged her attempt and sent a hard back hand across her face that sent her falling over. Scott got back to his feet and moved to claw at Kincaid's face. He got a solid hit in but Kincaid barely flinched. He then threw a punch for his gut but Kincaid didn't seem affected again. Scott went to try clawing his face again but Kincaid apparently had enough and grabbed his wrist. Scott tried to strike with his other hand but Kincaid caught that one too. He squeezed on Scott's wrists hard as he pulled them down with Scott struggling to break free, but to no avail. Kincaid then went and stuck at Scott's face with a hard headbutt. Scott backed away a few paces before he tried to strike again at Kincaid. Kincaid caught his wrist again and then moved to send two hard hits into Scott's gut. Scott bent over from the pain as Kincaid then went and sent a hard kick to have him go down. As he was down, Kincaid sent another hard kick into Scott's sternum to make him lie on his back instead.

Kincaid moved to bend down over him as Scott was trying to catch his breath and fight through the pain. "You have the eyes of an Alpha, but where's the strength?" he said, mocking him.

"Up here."

Kincaid looked up to see both Ethan and Aiden looking down from a staircase landing. They roared at him before the climbed over and pounced for him. The twins then began to fight Kincaid together, kicking and clawing at him. He tried to fight them off but the two of them were starting to overwhelm him. Lydia was running over to where Allison was still on the ground and moved to help her to her feet. They then watched as the twins moved Kincaid over to a corner where they then began to punch at claw at him, and he was starting to be unable to fight back.

Scott started to pick himself up just as the twins threw Kincaid through the air and he landed face first into the pavement. "Stop!" he yelled at them. "Ethan! Aiden!"

But the twins moved to get to Kincaid again.

Lydia broke free from Allison and ran to them. "Stop!" she cried at Aiden.

He stopped and looked at her. He then pointed at Kincaid. "You want him to come after us?!"

"Scott," Ethan said turning to the Alpha. "We've seen guys like this, trust us, he's dangerous."

Kira moved to get back on her feet and moved to stand with Allison and Lydia as they watched Kincaid get to his knees.

Scott shook his head. "So are we," he argued before looking down at Kincaid. "And he looks smart enough to remember that." He then bent over and took the finger from his jacket pocket. He opened it and took the scroll out of it. He then looked to all of his friends. "We're here to save a life, not end one."

He then looked over at Kincaid's pained and tired face as he went and threw the empty finger at the floor in front of him before he turned to leave as they got what they came for. Kira and Lydia followed after Scott immediately. The twins and Allison glared hard at Kincaid for a moment before they moved to pull themselves away and follow after Scott themselves.

* * *

Malia led Stiles through the closed unit, quietly, as they made their way down a dusty staircase at the end where they came upon the door leading into the basement level. As they stepped in, Stiles had a strong sense of dejavu. This was definitely the place where he had been taken, or thought to have been taken. He quickly found the spot where he thought that he had been caught by a trap and looked up at the roof to see the glass where the moonlight shined in.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" Malia asked to snap him out of his recounting daze.

He nodded as he went to easily find the other thing he remembered from his time down here. "Something to do with that," he said pointing at the part of the wall where the reverse 5 was carved into it.

Malia went and bent over to run her fingers across it. "What does it mean?"

"Self," Stiles said as he glared at it.

She nodded. "You want to tell me more?"

He shook his head. "You might not like me if you know."

Malia stood up and faced her. "Try to remember that I'm a werecoyote who up until a few hours ago thought that I had gone and killed my entire family, thanks to you. I won't judge, I promise." Stiles looked at her and let a sigh loose. He then began to tell her all about how he had actually been a werewolf like Scott but had recently lost his powers and become human only to become possessed by a dark fox spirit. He then explained that the spirit then used him to go on a rampage that left many people hurt or killed in town. Malia listened and when Stiles was finished she stayed silent for a few moments before she slowly nodded. "Okay…wow, and I thought I had issues," she said nonchalantly.

That had Stiles let out a deep puff of air from his nose as he looked down and fought himself to not laugh. He let his gaze wander before he noticed a few filing boxes stacked up against the wall not too far away. "Hey do you see that?" he asked before he moved over to them. He took one of them and Malia took another and they moved over to where they spotted a couch at the far side of the room.

"What do you think these are?" Malia asked as she began to take what appeared to be folders.

Stiles grabbed a stack out of his box and he immediately recognized them from what he'd seen at the Sheriff's station. "They're case files. Records of all the procedures and treatments they did here to try and help patients. Help me look through these."

Malia moved through some folders before she found a file with actual pictures of what they used to do. Very well done pictures. "This place used to be a lot more fun. Electroshock, Ice baths, Trepanation?"

At that, Stiles looked up. "That's what Oliver was talking about. Trepanation is when they drill into your head," he explained to her.

Malia threw the pictures aside. "No wonder they don't want anyone down here."

Stiles threw what he was holding aside too. "There's nothing here." Stiles didn't understand. Why would he have been in this place with the Nogitsune if it wasn't important somehow. His instincts were telling him that this couldn't have been random. It had to mean something. At the trail of thought about the Nogitsune, Stiles remembered his markings. "Uh Malia, could you do me a favor?" He moved to lift the back of his shirt up. "Could you check the lines on my back? Tell me if they're fading."

Malia looked and saw that his back was almost clear. "Yeah, they're almost gone." She felt Stiles stiffen after she said that. "I'm guessing that's bad?"

"Very bad," he mumbled. Morrell had told him that he had two days at best but it looked like he was stuck at the worst case scenario. As Malia went to pull his shirt back down, her hands grazed his back and he flinched a bit. "Oh," he cried out.

She pulled her hands away. "Sorry. I told you, I'm always cold."

Stiles saw Malia inch away from him as she tried to fold her hands and he shook his head. "Hey, it's okay. Here," he said moving to take her hands into his own to help warm them. As he took them he felt that they were cold and his eyes widened. "Wow, you really are."

That made both of them share a small laugh. But Malia found herself relaxing as her cold hands started to feel warmer as he held them in his warm palms. Stiles wrapped his hands over hers and started to rub against them in order to help move the heat start circulating. It started to move from her hands to her arms and Malia felt her body relaxing as she slowly warmed. She then caught herself staring at him. At his honey brown eyes as they were focused in helping her get warm. Stiles felt her gaze and looked up to catch her eyes. He couldn't help but notice that Malia had deep brown eyes that seemed familiar to him and yet were different all at once. Malia felt a new feeling spike within her that she never really felt before that called for her to quickly move in and catch Stiles' lips in a kiss. Stiles was completely thrown at the sudden action but he quickly found himself returning it. He hadn't kissed anyone since he had to say goodbye to Cora. Granted with everything going on with him and his friends, he hadn't given any thought to finding anyone else but it looked like they found him. They kissed for a few more seconds before they softly broke apart.

Stiles looked at the soft smile that Malia was giving him. One that was new to what he had seen from Malia but thought more than suited her. It really made him notice how beautiful she really was. He then remembered that had only just recently been made human again since she was nine. "Was that your first kiss?" he asked. She smiled wider, showing her teeth before she nodded. Stiles didn't know why but he felt a small feeling. One primal yet warm at the thought that he had been the first. "Was it okay?" She nodded again with her face softening. "Want to try again?" he found himself asking. She nodded again.

This time Stiles moved in to capture Malia's lips in a kiss. He moved his hand over to her back of her head as Malia moved to stroke her still somewhat cold hand across his cheek. Soon, they began to open their mouths to let each other's tongues dance with the other. Their hands began to reach for one another to try and bring the other closer.

But Malia went to move away from him as she gave him a breathless smile. "I want to try something else."

Stiles let his forehead rest against Malia's as he looked up at her eye and let his nose rub against hers. "Something else?"

Malia then moved back a bit and removed her sweater showing that she was only wearing a bra underneath. Stiles let his eyes take in the sight as he looked at her with a somewhat hungry look coming over him. His stomach started to shake and he felt a sudden heat begin to stir within him. They stared at each other for a tense moment before Stiles went to grab Malia and pull her into another deep kiss. She returned his effort and Stiles went and began to push at her until she was lying on her back. He then adjusted himself so that he was hovering directly above her and in between her legs. He then moved to begin to heavily make out with her. Stiles began moving his hands through every corner of Malia's body that he could touch. Wherever his hand went, Malia felt a surge of heat flow into her and for the first time in a while, began to feel comfortable without her fur coat. Stiles broke away and took a moment to just look at Malia who was smiling widely at him. It felt like ages since someone smiled like that at him. It felt like ages since he was this calm and happy with himself also. He ran his warm hand across Malia's still cold cheek before he moved to kiss her again. He then moved to kiss at her neck and rub his face against her. Malia felt herself warming up even more as they went on. Stiles hand went to grasp Malia's into his and they held on to each other tightly. With her other hand, Malia ran it down Stiles' neck and exposed where the ligature mark was. At her touch, the marks seem to deepen themselves and start to return with the two of them completely unaware of it as they got further lost with each other.

* * *

In a deep part of the institution, at their room, Oliver was laying down on his bed seemingly asleep. A slight breeze moved through the cracks of the door, where it opened with a click. At the sound, Oliver's eyes shot open before he then went and broke himself free of the restraints.

* * *

After their time together, Stiles and Malia went and got their clothes back on but stayed together on the couch. Stiles was holding Malia in his arms, spooning her and letting himself nuzzle his cheek against her's as he held her hand. Malia let herself lean into his grasp and return the nuzzling with a soft smile. She looked down at their joined hands where their fingers were rubbing against each other's. Stiles found himself not feeling the least bit tired or fighting an urge to sleep. He hadn't felt this strong in days to be honest. Or happy to just be in silence or in the dark.

But Malia narrowed her eyes and broke the silence. "Stiles?"

"Hmm?" he said back, keeping his gaze on her.

"You said that someone or something attacked me and my family, right?" Stiles leaned back a bit and nodded his head a bit. "Why? Why would someone want to attack us?"

Stiles then remembered something else that his dad had found about Malia. The fact that she was adopted and that Talia Hale and Deaton were involved. Yet, they still didn't know the connection yet and Stiles didn't want to confuse Malia or shake her world just yet. She seemed to be getting better and didn't want to risk anything undoing it just yet.

"I don't really know," he told her. Not exactly a lie, but not exactly true either.

Malia turned away as she stared at the floor to let the reality of that news hit her. She felt a sudden cold wind hit her newly warm face which made her narrow her eyes. Her ears then picked up a sound, like a light breeze and it was coming from the wall that had the symbol on it. "Stiles," she said breaking away from his hold.

"What?" he asked getting up after her.

Malia led him to the wall and ran her hand across it where she felt the small wind coming off it. She then went to knock at the wall where it made an echoing sound. "Hear that."

Stiles narrowed his eyes. The wall was hollow. "There's something back there." He quickly remembered that he couldn't break through the wall on his own and began to look around and found a small metal pole leaning on the side. "Get back," he told her. Malia moved away and he went and whacked at the wall. He whacked and hit at it with everything he had until he made a giant hole clean through it. He looked inside and his eyes widened. Inside, was a familiar bandaged figure in a leather jacket. It looked more decayed than what he was used to seeing but there was no doubt. "It's him," he told her.

"The Nogitsune?" Malia asked as she looked at it.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah," he said with some anger.

So this is why he had seen this place. It was where the Nogitsune had been the entire time. But, as he looked at the thing, he saw that it wasn't moving. It looked like it had been here for a long time though. There was webbing and dust all over this thing. Malia went over and started to search it. She tried very hard not to vomit as she touched it. She found a pocket and dug into it, pulling out a picture.

She gave it a look before handing it to him. "Recognize them?"

Stiles looked at the photo of what appeared to be two people. One of them, he didn't recognize. But the other, he knew this person all too well. "One of them." He then stood up. "I've got to get this to Scott." He had to know. Someone had known exactly what was happening but had been playing dumb to all of them the entire time.

But before they could do anything else, Stiles felt a sharp pain at his back as he was shocked by a taser. Stiles fell to the floor and crawled to the wall. Malia turned around and saw that it was Oliver. Stiles moved to sit with his back to the wall and faced him. Unbeknownst to them, the lines behind Stiles back started to fade and then disappear.

Oliver glared at them. "You took Brunski's keys, I took his stun gun," he said as he looked at the thing in his hand with a smile. He then quickly sent a shock right at Malia's stomach and made her knees give out so that she slid to the floor. He then brought out a syringe. "I also got his Haldol." He then went and injected her with it and Malia slowly lost consciousness. "Like I was saying Stiles, I heard they used to do trepanation here."

Stiles tried to fight through the shock to his system but he still found himself barely able to move. "Oliver," he choked out. "What are you doing?"

Oliver then went over and picked up what appeared to be a drill. "I'm going to let the evil spirits out." He then went and started to drill, letting the sound of it echo through the room. He then went and struck at Stiles with the butt of the drill.

When Stiles awoke, he found himself looking right up at Oliver who was looking down at him with a smile on his face.

"Oliver?" he mumbled out.

"Take a look. I borrowed some pointers from the Five Point Restraint."

Stiles then looked to see that he was completely strapped to the chair with by his wrists and feet. "Oliver, stop this," he said harshly to him. But Oliver just went and let out a few hard coughs. When he moved his hand, he revealed that he had coughed out blood, and a fly.

Stiles didn't know why but his blood chilled at the sight of the fly. "Oliver, listen to me, you have to stop. Oliver?" But Oliver just glared at him and brought the drill out where he started it up. "Oliver, stop!" he screamed as Oliver brought it closer to his head.

"Stay with her!"

Oliver stopped the drill and looked over at the end of the room. Stiles' eyes widened. He knew that voice. Oliver put the drill down and walked off giving Stiles a clear view of the Nogitsune.

"You did this?" Stiles said as he glared at it. "You got into his head."

"Every Dracula needs a Renfield," it said to him in amusement.

Stiles grit his teeth as he looked over at the hole that he had made where he saw the Nogitsune's body. "That is you. You've been here, the whole time." Stiles then remembered Barrow and his tumor full of flies. Just like the fly that Oliver spat out. "It was you that sent Barrow. You got into his head just like with Oliver."

"He didn't seem to mind so much. He welcomed the company. Oliver too," he whispered out in amusement.

Stiles tried to pull himself free to rage at the Nogitsune but the straps still held on strong. "Then go and bother them. TYou have a whole house of nuts to choose from, just leave me alone!"

But the Nogitsune shook his head. "No, I don't want any of them Stiles. I want you. No, I need you. And you need me. You know you do, remember? Let me in."

Stiles shook his head. "No. I don't care anymore. I don't care what you do to me or what happens to me!"

"Oh…what about what happens to her?"

Stiles then heard some noise and saw that Oliver was tightening the restraints on Malia who was tied to a chair across from him.

"Let her go," he said to the Nogitsune.

It looked back at him. "Let me in," he told him. Stiles moved to try and snap the restraints on him off but they were too strong. "Stiles…" The Nogitsune started to circle around them like a shark readying its prey. "Do you want her to leave here alive? Do you want us to leave? We can walk out of this place."

Stiles watched as Oliver pulled and tested all of Malia's restraints. "Let her go, please," he said, begging. Malia was starting to get some peace back. She didn't deserve to have it all taken away from her now.

The Nogitsune stopped for a moment and looked over at the disturbed copy of itself, specifically at its empty pocket. He then moved quickly for Stiles in his chair. "Let me in," it whispered close to his ear. Stiles just screamed as he kept trying to break free. "Let me in Stiles," it said tauntingly. It then looked over at Oliver and he moved the drill in Malia's direction. "Let me in."

"Let her go! Please!" Stiles roared out.

Oliver then started the drill up and the noise filled the room.

"Let me in Stiles," the Nogitsune said savagely. "Let me in." Stiles shut his eyes, trying to block out the deafening sound of the drill but it seemed to only grow louder. "You want to save her Stiles? You let me in and I let her live." Stiles started to shed tears. "Let me in!"

Stiles let out a soft whimper. "Sorry," he cried softly. His limbs then went slag.

Oliver moved the drill closer to Malia's temple but stopped when he heard a snapping noise.

"Oliver."

Oliver looked up and saw that Stiles was free from the chair and threw his restraints away. But, it wasn't Stiles. It was Void, back in his ideal host body. Oliver let a small smile loose as he backed away. Void moved for him, calmly, until they were right in front of each other. Void looked at him straight in the face before his gaze dropped. He then grabbed the drill from him with lightning fast speed and struck Oliver in the head just as he had done to Stiles moments before. Void then moved to stretch out his neck as worked to get used to being back in full control. He wasn't quite as strong as he had been before but he knew of a way to replenish his strength, and then some. He then walked off and set the drill down.

Malia slowly started to come to and noticed him walking off. "Stiles?"

Void looked back over at Malia and something, she didn't know what, something told her that this wasn't Stiles. He gave her a glance before he looked away and made his way out of the basement. There was no one to stop him as he moved through the hollow halls of Eichen House, through the front doors, and through the main gate.

* * *

Deaton was holding up the open scroll back in the office of his animal clinic. From what Scott could see, there wasn't much written on it and it was written in Japanese so he couldn't read it.

"Well?" Scott asked after a while. The suspense was killing him.

Deaton kept his eyes on the scroll. "There isn't much here, unfortunately."

"Does it say anything?" Scott didn't want to believe that they had accomplished nothing tonight.

Deaton looked over at him. "My Japanese isn't great but it appears to say that one method of expelling a Nogitsune is to change the body of the host."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Change the body?" he mumbled.

Deaton nodded. "Which begs the question, how do we change Stiles' body?"

Scott's eyes widened. He knew of a way. A surefire way of changing someone. A bite, from an Alpha. From him. "We turn him back into a werewolf."

* * *

Allison was back in her room, putting her crossbow away in a case that she stashed into her closet. She let her eyes roam her room until they fell on a picture frame by her bed. The picture that had her with her father smiling at the camera as they embraced each other. Her face fell at the image as the fact that she and her father could never be that open with each other again. There was then a soft knock on the door. She moved over and opened it a crack to see that it was Scott.

"Hi," he said with a soft smile. "Can I come in?" Allison let a small grin form as she stepped back so that he could come on in. "I checked over at Lydia's but she said that you didn't want to go with her tonight."

"Yeah, I felt like being alone tonight," she said as they moved over to her room.

Scott passed by the office and her father's bedroom where there was still some yellow tape on the doors. His eyes narrowed at the sight of them but softened when they got to her room. "I'm sorry about tonight. I saw how you looked. I know that it couldn't have been easy to listen to what that guy said about your father."

She went to sit at the edge of her bed. "No. It wasn't. There was a part of me that wished you hadn't called the Twins off of him when you did. But, I know he isn't the real reason this happened to my father."

Scott let a heated sigh loose. It was due to the combined actions of both his father and Stiles that landed Allison's father in this position in the first place. "Allison, if you don't want to help us anymore, I would understand."

But she shook her head. "No, Scott I want to help. Don't worry, I don't blame Stiles, or your father for any of this." His eyes widened at that and she actually let a smile loose. "After all this time, I know how you think. It's not their fault, I know that. It's the Nogitsune that did this. And I want to stop it. I don't want it to keep using people, to keep using Stiles to do these terrible things. He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve any of this."

Scott went to sit by Allison on her bed and they moved to hug one another. They stayed there, holding each other, just being there for one another to keep themselves upright as their separate worlds were collapsing all around them.

* * *

Malia moved to gather her stuff. Since she was only a volunteered entrant into this place, she could request to leave, if her father okayed it. And he did when Malia said that she was ready to come back home to him now. Malia grabbed the photo that she still had. The one that she and Stiles found and worked to get. She didn't understand what it meant but she was hoping someone back in Beacon Hills did. Stiles' friends.

As she was moving through the halls, she was being followed by Ms. Morrell. "Do you know where you're going?" the woman asked her.

"Nope," Malia mumbled to her as she kept moving. "But I know who I'm looking for."

"Scott McCall."

Malia finally did stop and looked over at her. "You know him?"

"I can tell you how to find him."

Malia was given all the information she needed. She moved through the front doors of the institution and made her way to the gate. She pushed her way through them, and breathed her first bit of freedom. Her eyes turning blue as she did. Stiles had given and done so much for her in the short time that they had together. This was the least that she could do for him.


	17. The Fox and the Wolf

Chapter 17: The Fox and the Wolf

Mr. Yukimura was organizing and grading some tests over at his desk in the high school. School was out that day so he was enjoying the peace and quiet while he worked. But the peace and quiet was broken when he heard a slight buzzing noise. He looked around and noticed that it was coming from a fly. It was zipping around until it landed at the side of his desk. Mr. Yukimura went and took a text book and hovered over it before he went and slammed it down on the bug.

"Coming in on a Saturday, now that's dedication."

Mr. Yukimura looked up and saw that it was Stiles. Or rather it was Stiles' body. He knew better to not let himself be deceived. "Stiles," he said calmly. "What brings you here?"

Stiles just looked to the side. "Where's she hiding them?"

Mr. Yukimura shook his head. "I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about."

Stiles moved over to the bookshelf at the opposite side of the room. "Her little knives," he droned out as he went and took a book and threw it to the floor. "The daggers," he said throwing another book away. "I know what they are." He then threw the rest of the books down. "The physical representation of her tails." He then looked over at Yukimura to see that he was looking a bit nervous. "However the hell that works."

Mr. Yukimura swallowed his unease down as best he could and tried to appear undeterred. "Perhaps you'd like to do some reading on it. I could direct you to the section of Japanese Myth in the library."

Stiles smiled. "No…I'd like to talk to you." He then raised his hand up a bit and let some dark purple sparks shoot out from the tips of them. They clacked through the air until the sparks moved to merge into an electric ball in the palm of his hand. The sight made the teacher stiffen a bit but he tried to stay firm. But Stiles' grin widened into a smirk. "You know the legends about foxfire, don't you Mr. Yukimura? It can be used to protect those that a fox feels affectionate towards or gained its favor. But, if the fox is offended." Stiles then flung his hand out and the ball of electricity went and struck at Mr. Yukimura's briefcase bag on his desk. The man flinched back as he looked down at the bag to see that there was a deep charcoal mark on the front of it and it was smoking. "Do you want to offend me Mr. Yukimura?"

Despite the clear threat, Mr. Yukimura just turned to calmly face the Nogitsune. "I can't give you what you want," he said to him calmly.

"But you know where I can get it," Stiles pressed as he stepped closer. "The tails. The older the tail, the more powerful the Oni. And, I know she has one more left. Her oldest one. Where can I find it?"

Stiles had gotten right in front of the desk and was staring at him with a mix of a glare and a smirk.

"I'm sorry but I can't help you," he insisted again.

"Oh," Stiles said before looking down at the book. "You'll talk." He then picked the book up and revealed the fly. It wasn't dead and as soon as it was free, it flew right into Mr. Yukimura's mouth. Stiles watched as the teacher started to grab at his throat and try to cough and gag it out. "They always talk."

* * *

Scott showed Kira the photo. It was a black and white photo that had a guy in an old soldier's uniform with a girl in a dress. The girl in the photo is what drew their eye. The girl looked exactly like her. The hair and clothing style was different but it was without a doubt Kira.

"It looks just like me," Kira gasped. She then turned the photo around and saw that it was from 1943. "It has to be my grandmother."

"You remember I told you about Malia? She's the last one who saw Stiles at Eichen House. This picture," he then moved to pull out a sword that Malia had given him. "And this. They found it next to a body, hidden behind a wall. It was marked with the same backwards 5 that the Oni marked on us. Sounds like this all goes back to your family. Your grandmother, your mom." But they were interrupted by Kira's phone beeping. "What is it?" he asked her when he saw her expression fall when she looked at it.

"My dad," she told him.

The two of them then took off for Scott's bike and practically hopped off it when they got to the school. They ran through the front doors and sped off for the classroom. There they found Kira's father bent down and coughing as he was being tended to by her mother.

"Kira, did you bring it!" her mother cried at her.

Kira nodded as she went over and handed her the vial that her mother insisted she bring from home. "You going to tell me what it is?"

"Reishi," her mother said as she opened it.

Kira's eyes rose. "You're seriously going to give dad magic mushrooms?"

Her mother gave her a look before she moved to put one of the Reishi mushrooms into his mouth. Her father ate it and he then started to cough more heavily. He got a handkerchief where he hacked out some black goo, along with a fly in the center of it.

"Are you okay?" Kira's mother asked as she helped her husband to his feet.

He nodded as he moved to wipe his mouth clean.

Scott scanned the room and noticed a bag to the side with a deep burn mark on it. It matched the burn mark that had been left on his shirt when he chased the Nogitsune in the woods and he fired that electricity at him. "Stiles did this?" he asked unnecessarily.

Mrs. Yukimura looked at him. "He wanted the last Kai Ken." She then reached into her pocket and revealed a black knife. "I've kept this near me ever since your friend disappeared."

"Mom, you need to talk to us. About everything." Kira had enough. Enough of the secrets and the half truths. It was time to find out what was going on.

Scott nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the photo. At the sight of it, Kira's mother seemed to pale a bit and grabbed for it.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"Is that grandma?" Kira asked her.

Her mother kept her eyes on it. "No, it's me."

Scott shook his head. The picture was from 1943. How could it be her? "If that's you, then you'd have to be like 90 years old."

"Closer to 900."

At that, Kira's eyes widened in absolute shock. "Okay. Sure, why not?" she said a little breathless. She then looked over at her father. "Dad, how old are you?"

He smiled at her. "I'm 43, though I've been told I look mid 30's."

Kira breathed a sigh of relief at that one. At least not everything was crazy in her life. But she then focused her mind back on what was still crazy. She held up the sword that Scott got from Malia. At the sight of it, her mother seemed to know it just like she knew the photo. She took it from her and moved to unsheathe it. But after the hilt wasn't a sword but a broken piece of metal. She laid it on the table before taking the sheath and turning it upside down. Inside poured out pieces of broken metal. They rained down on the desk with clatters.

"The blade was shattered the last time it was used," she said as she looked at all the broken pieces.

"When was that?" Kira asked.

"1943," her mother answered. "Against a Nogitsune."

"All this, it's all happened before hasn't it?" said Scott.

Her mother nodded. "Yes."

"Those that cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," her father quoted.

"Where did it come from?" asked Kira.

"It was an internment camp during World War 2, in Oak Creek. Not too far from here." Her mother's tone was a little angry as she told them that.

But Scott realized something. "Hold on," he said looking to Mr. Yukimura. "You told Allison and Isaac that there was no internment camp at Oak Creek."

"Allison's family has a certain history of violence," he defended. "I wasn't certain that she could be trusted. There was a camp, yes, but all the records were erased."

"They covered it up," Mrs. Yukimura said, again, in anger.

Mr. Yukimura opened one of his drawers and took out a notebook. "When I was a grad student, my passion project, well actually more like an obsession, was trying to dig up the truth on Oak Creek." He opened his book to reveal notes and photographs. "It's how I met your mother Kira."

Kira looked at the photos and saw that one of them was of a fully burned man. "So, where did the Nogitsune come from?" she asked looking at her mother.

"Isn't it obvious yet?" she said leaning in closer to her daughter. "It came from me." After she said that, she moved to the pieces of the sword that were scattered across the table. She moved to arrange them so that they outlined what seemed to be the shape of a sword. "Kira, I need your help on this. There isn't much time and this is something that has to be done in the daylight."

But Kira had her arms folded and was glaring out defiantly. "No," she said. "Not until you tell us everything."

Her father sighed heavily as he went to look at her mother. "Tell them Noshiko. Tell them what they need to know."

Mrs. Yukimura looked over at Kira and then looked at Scott. "Wolves and foxes tend not to get along. Not just in fables and stories."

"But allies however unlikely should be welcomed. Especially in times of war," Mr. Yukimura argued back.

She then went and slammed the last piece she was holding to the table. "Very well." Noshiko prepared to tell them the tale. The tale of Oak Creek and of the Nogitsune.

 _Noshiko had been taken to Oak Creek along with other Japanese Americans where they were put into special bunk houses. There was an army presence there that observed them and made them all keep to the rules. But Noshiko didn't keep to the rules. She would often go and steal things from the supply stockholds as well as food and give them out to her people in the bunks. She tried to give a woman named Satomi some aspirin for headaches that she tended to have once a month but she refused it. Claimed she preferred to suffer and berated her for disobeying the rules like 'a young fox'. A boy became too wild with a baseball Noshiko gave him and threw it through a window by accident. That alerted the MP's and they came to find who had done it. However, one soldier stood up for the people and argued against treating them like prisoners. Corporal Rhys. As he bid his fellow soldiers to leave, he went and returned the baseball to the young man. Noshiko watched him go with a small smile on her face._

* * *

The Sheriff and Parrish were going through the box of possessed items from Chris Argent that didn't make it into evidence. He argued that since they weren't classed as evidence for the murder case, they had to be returned to next of kin, in this case, Allison Argent.

"You don't have to worry Parrish. I'll be taking care of returning all of this to Allison."

"You sure you want to give a teenage girl a box full of weapons?" Parrish asked him in amusement.

"She's eighteen. And these are a box of non-lethal objects. The guns and blades that we took were placed in storage. These other things are okay for her to have." He then reached in and pulled out some things. "I mean a taser. A few smoke pellets."

Parrish then pulled out an electric rod. "And this?"

"It looks like a shock stick. The kind they use to deter rabid animals," the sheriff tried to explain away though he did give the weapon an uncomfortable look as he knew what the Argents would really use it for.

But Parrish shook his head. "Not quite. It's been modified so that the jolt it releases is way above the legal voltage limit." He started it up and made a spark of high voltage electricity flow through the tip. "I mean you could use it to practically jumpstart a 747. Sheriff, I'm not kidding, this thing is a few watts short of being a lightsaber."

The Sheriff couldn't help but smile at the reference. He liked Parrish and he had a feeling that he and his son would get along just fine as well. He went and took the rod from him and folded it back up. "Don't worry. I said that I'll take care of it."

"Okay," Parrish said giving in.

He then moved to step out of the Sheriff's office and once he was gone, the Sheriff moved to pull off his cell phone. "Yeah, I'm on my way," he said once the person picked up. "Don't worry, that will be the last place anyone will think to look for you. Just make sure that no one sees you. I'll be calling Derek to meet us there. You call your daughter."

* * *

 _Noshiko moved through the secret maintenance tunnels where she would go and meet up with Rhys who was waiting for her. He smiled as he was happy to see her. They then moved to kiss in the safety and seclusion of where they were. Noshiko play argued with him about not knowing why she liked when Rhys acted so tough and Rhys playfully said that it was because she wanted him to be a fighter. But then Rhys became serious and warned Noshiko that she had to ease up on taking things, especially when it came to medical supplies or she would be caught. He told her that they were starting to notice and she promised to bring some back to ease up the tension. Rhys promised to help her take some stuff when he could. He then held out a chocolate bar as a gift for her. She accepted it and gifted him with a kiss._

"Okay stop! Just stop," Kira coughed out. "We don't want to hear your Casablanca story. We want to know how to save Stiles."

"I'm trying to tell you," her mother explained.

"You're trying to stall us," Scott cut in. "When the sun goes down, the Oni are going to come after him again, aren't they?"

"Your friend is gone Scott," Mr. Yukimura tried to tell him.

But Scott shook his head. "You don't know that for sure." He then looked to Noshiko. "You brought the Oni here, can you call them off?"

"It's not his fault," Kira said in defense of Scott.

But Noshiko glared at Scott. "Stiles may be your best friend, he might be like a brother to you, but he's Nogitsune now. He is Void."

Scott was starting to get angry. "Can you call them off?

"When you hear the rest of the story, you won't want me to."

* * *

The Sheriff got to his house with the box and inside the living room, there was Derek Hale already waiting.

"Good, you're already here," he said as he moved over to his kitchen table with the box he took from the station. "Any word from Argent." As if on cue, there was a knock on his back door. The Sheriff moved to open it and revealed the hunter himself. "Good, then you're both here."

He moved and dropped the small bag he was holding off to the side. He spotted the box of items inside and immediately recognized them. "You brought the things they confiscated from my office."

"Only the non-lethals. I told them that I would bring them over to Allison," the Sheriff told him. He then picked up the rod. "Though, there was some resistance about getting out with this thing."

"You don't have to worry. We only use that for hunting." At that, both Derek and the Sheriff narrowed their eyes at him. Argent ducked his head and decided to move this along. "I called Allison. She's coming over with some of our maps."

"Good, because we need to find my son, and fast." The Sheriff then brought out a folder. "The specialist I saw in LA told me the thing that every doctor says when they're trying to avoid a lawsuit: We can't say for sure." That made the other two men in the room roll their eyes. "So, I went and spoke with Melissa." He then opened the folder and revealed two doctoral photographs. "These are brain scans. My wife's and Stiles'. I knew they were similar, but those are the same." He gave them out to Argent and he and Derek looked on as he overlapped them together. "Exactly the same," the Sheriff stressed out in an undertone of anger.

"And I'm guessing this isn't possible?" Derek asked as medical science wasn't his forte.

The Sheriff shook his head. "Not even remotely."

Argent tossed the photos down. "So the trickster is still playing tricks."

Derek leaned in to look at the photos. "But, why this trick?"

The Sheriff sighed. "When I was in the army an officer told me that if you want to defeat your enemy you don't take away their courage, you take away their hope."

"You don't look like a man gives up hope easily," Argent mused.

"But Stiles might." The Sheriff's jaw tightened a bit as he went to look at the forged brain scans. "Back at Eichen House, Stiles told Scott that he broke. This _thing_ inside of him…if it's using his mother's disease as some kind of psychological trick, then this isn't just a fight for his body. It's a fight for his mind. It's finding ways to break him."

"Well, it's clear that it worked," Derek mumbled as he tossed the brain scans to the floor. Derek didn't want to admit it but he was seeing that there was more to Stiles then he first thought. He had always thought Stiles was free-spirited, too free-spirited, but it was clear that the kid had more bottled up inside and weighing him down then he could've imagined.

"And now he's missing again. If I'm going to find my son, I can't do it alone."

Argent narrowed his eyes. "You know that he's left people severely injured."

"And others severely dead," Derek added.

"That's why I need the two of you. I need people that are experienced in this kind of thing. I need you to help me stop him."

Argent looked the Sheriff straight in the eye. "And by stop him, you mean trap him."

The Sheriff nodded at him sternly. He then held up the electric rod that Parrish had mused over earlier. Argent went to reach for it but the Sheriff didn't let it go. He narrowed his eyes at the hunter. "I'm trusting you, don't let me regret it. Or I promise…you will," he said with a threatening undertone.

He then let the rod go so that Argent could take it from him. Derek just narrowed his eyes at the hunter, unclear if Stilinski made the smart choice or not.

* * *

"Rhys and I found ways to see each other," Noshiko said continuing her story. "Sometimes at the barracks. Sometimes at the bunkers where they parked military vehicles. But, he was being transferred to North Africa in a few weeks. I was teaching him French."

 _Noshiko was with Rhys as he looked through a French to English Dictionary. She taught him the phrase Coup Du Foudre. It meant bolt of lightning. They then started to kiss but then they spotted the two soldiers Merrick and Heyes talking with the camp doctor. Whispering and talking quickly before the doctor pulled out some money, like a bribe._

Mr. Yukimura saw Noshiko's grip tightening when she got to that part of the story. Grip tightening over a piece of sword. "Noshiko," he told her as he looked to her hand.

Kira also noticed. "Mom, what are you doing?" Her mother then dropped the piece of sword that had some blood on it. Her father handed her a handkerchief to wipe the blood away and Kira saw that there was no cut in her hand at all. "How'd you do that?'

Her mother smiled at her. "It's one of our talents. Something that you'll learn Kira. You should've noticed by now that you never get sick, ever. You'll never experience something as simple as a common cold. Something as bad as the flu. Or something like pneumonia."

 _Pneumonia is what the little boy in her cabin had caught. There had been an outbreak of it. Noshiko hadn't caught it but one of her friends did. She then saw Rhys starting to argue with one of the doctor who seemed to be livid with him. Rhys said that everyone was coming down with it but they were all out of the vaccine for it but Noshiko told him that she saw the boxes. Rhys told her that they only had one but Noshiko told him that she had seen three of them._

"Rhys checked the log but we already knew what was happening. Doctor Lipston was using Merrick and Heyes to sell medicine on the black market."

 _Soon, the deaths started. Starting with the boy. Noshiko had told the others what she and Rhys found out. Her friend had suggested that they go to the administration to tell them what was happening. However, the boy's father argued that the administration wouldn't believe them when they reported that one of their doctors was stealing and selling medicine on the black market. Satomi argued that the administration wouldn't even listen to anything they said. The father told them that he had a way to make them listen as he went to get a bottle of alcohol and fashioned it into a Molotov cocktail._

"I realized the mistake I had made. By speaking too soon, I wasn't helping anyone. I was inciting a riot. I yelled for them to stop. But so many people were sick and so many of them were dying. I'd never seen anger like that. As a living, breathing thing."

 _And a riot did happen. The people had begun to storm the courtyard and had moved to jump the doctor's car. Rhys moved to stop the MP's from using their guns on the people. Doctor Lipston argued with Merrick and Heyes and told them that they go and stop them or he would tell the people he had help and serve them up alongside him. He told them to use their guns against their rocks and pipes. Heyes stepped out of the car and brought out his gun. He saw Satomi and then moved to strike her with the butt of it. Noshiko moved over to her but stopped when she saw her eyes glow golden and her cut begin to heal. Satomi looked over at her and then ran off._

"Now I knew why Satomi was always trying to keep quiet. Why she got migraines once a month. Why she was always at the game of Go. It kept her calm."

Scott knew the implications from personal experience. "She was bitten."

Noshiko nodded. "Bitten werewolves have a hard time suppressing their anger. One unexpected flair up and they could lose all control."

 _And Satomi did lose control. She ran to the boy's father and took his Molotov from him. She then threw it right at the foot of the car, where Rhys had been standing. He then caught on fire to Noshiko's horror. He burned right in front of everyone._

* * *

Allison came over to the Sheriff's house and brought a bag with the town map as well as some other things that were still hidden from the apartment.

"This is everything non-lethal I could find," she said as she dropped and opened the bag at the Stilinski's living room table.

There were some ropes, cuffs, binds, mountain ash, stun guns and a handheld tranq gun.

"Take all of it," her father told her. "And sweetheart, grab my bag from the kitchen."

"Sure." She then left to get his stuff leaving the three of them alone.

"Okay, what's the plan here?" the Sheriff asked.

"Well our best shot right now is for Derek to pick up Stiles' scent at Eichen House especially if he went through something stressful there."

But Derek shook his head. "No, that won't work. Scott encountered Stiles when he was possessed. Said that he didn't have a scent. I don't think the Nogitsune has one for us to track him with."

"Then we'll have to track him by other means," said Argent.

"Okay, but where?" the Sheriff asked him.

At that moment, Allison came back into the room and dropped the bag to the side and joined her father at her side.

"Where else has Stiles shown up?" Argent asked the room at large.

"The school. Hospital," his daughter answered.

"Wait, hold on," Derek said stopping them. "We did this already. He disappeared, we started looking for him, then walked right into the trap at the hospital. And again when he disappeared, looked for him again and ran right into traps at your house, the school and the station."

Argent saw that Derek was right. "He's getting us to repeat the same moves."

"So, what do we do? Wait for him to come to us?" Allison asked.

Derek shook his head. "We can't. Not if we want to find him before the Oni when the sun goes down."

"Well Scott's working on that right now with Kira," the Sheriff told him.

"And that's the problem," Argent put in. "We're all trying to outfox the fox."

They all took a moment to realize that this was getting to be much more difficult and tenser than they originally thought. The Sheriff could see the weight of the situation now bearing on all of them.

"Listen," he said to the three of them. "I'll understand if anyone wants to back out."

Derek shook his head. "I won't be the first wolf to run from a fox. Besides, Stiles helped me, more times than one. I owe him." ' _For a lot'_ , he thought silently to himself.

Argent held up the electric rod. "And, apparently I'm carrying around a lightsaber," he said to his daughter. The Sheriff shared the joke that Parrish gave him back at the station while they were waiting for Allison.

Allison looked down at the map. "Okay, Dad it's you and Derek who will check around Eichen House. Me and the Sheriff will check the hospital. Then, we all meet back at the school."

The Sheriff moved to go with Allison while Derek and Chris Argent lagged behind. When he saw that the Sheriff was out the door, Chris quickly moved for his bag and took out some guns. He then moved to quickly pocket them but Derek had turned around and caught him.

"Making sure you have a few lethal options, just in case?" Derek said a bit spitefully at him.

Chris threw him a look before moving loading a mag into one of them. "I like to prepare for the worst," he said in his defense.

Derek kept the glare as he moved to head out the door. Chris then moved to follow after him.

* * *

 _As Rhys burned, Merrick and Heyes ran to the safety of the other MP's where they began to open fire on the crowd. The people began to be gunned down. One of the ones shot was Noshiko. She fell down as the people who weren't shot fled._

Noshiko moved to finish assembling all the leftover pieces of the sword in their proper place. "The gunfire nearly killed me. I don't know how many bullets managed to find their way into my body but I fought every one of them. It left my heartbeat so slow, my body so weak that it appeared as if I was dead. But, even then, I was better off than Rhys. His screams could be heard throughout Eichen House, echoing through every room, every hallway. He died in agony. The doctor it seemed also sold the Morphine. Merrick and Heyes were given the task of getting rid of all the bodies. Both American and Japanese American. They were transferring Dr. Lipston out as well, stationing him somewhere else. They were covering it up," she said with tears starting to fall from her eyes. "Dr. Lipston, Heyes and Merrick, they were going to get away with murder. By chance, I guess, Rhys' body had been put next to mine. I wanted the soldiers and the administrations of the camp to be punished for their crime. But I knew that the clock was ticking." Her voice was starting to crack as the emotions started to come back to her. "I was going to lose my chance. They were going to burn me with the others. I couldn't fight back with my body weakened and still healing. I could barely move. I was going to die. With time slipping through my fingers, I was making a terrible decision. But I could not die knowing that they would get away. So I called out to our ancestors. For a kitsune possession, a powerful fox spirit, a Nogitsune. One that feeds off Chaos, Strife and Pain. To take control of my body and use it as a weapon." That made both Scott and Kira's hearts go cold. Noshiko's eyes narrowed. "But calling on a trickster spirit is a dangerous thing. It can have a very dark sense of humor. Because while the Nogitsune did come to possess someone…it wasn't me."

 _Merrick and Heyes pulled up on the side of the road to begin to dump the bodies and burn them with no one being the wiser. Merrick began to pass the time by asking some riddles to Heyes. Heyes didn't answer any of them but Merrick did it for him. His last riddle was: What has a neck but no head? A Bottle. As they were finishing with unloading the bodies and preparing to have them burned, they stopped and saw that one of them was standing up. The Nogitsune who had been summoned but possessed Rhys' body instead of Noshiko's. Heyes was killed first. Then it moved and grabbed Merrick. It asked him the same riddle back to him about what had a neck but no head. Then it went and ripped Merrick's head off as its own answer. Noshiko watched it all happen in horror as her body started to recover. She tried to call out to Rhys but it went and took one of their leather army jackets and then took the truck and drove off._

"What did it do?" Scott asked Noshiko.

"It brought more Chaos, Strife and Pain then you could ever imagine," she answered.

* * *

The Sheriff was with Allison at the hospital. They didn't find any trace of Stiles anywhere there. They were heading into the elevator, just silently staring at the doors as they closed. The silence carried on until the Sheriff just started shaking his head as it all came rushing back. Them running around town trying to find someone, his very son, who used to be a werewolf but then became human again only to be taken by a psychotic fox spirit. Just thinking about it in those terms made him realize how crazy his life had become in such a short time.

"I don't know how you guys do it," he mumbled to Allison. The girl came from a family whose whole legacy was tied to all of this. "You're all so strong. You're fearless. Hell, you even manage to keep your grades up."

Allison rubbed at her face as she kept herself from facing him. "I am failing Econ," she admitted.

He blinked his eyes. "Is that Coach's class?" She nodded. "Well, I'll have a talk with him."

Allison almost smiled, but she caught herself. "Please, don't," she said to him in a small voice.

The Sheriff saw her distress and went and stopped the elevator. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her lightly.

Allison kept her eyes on her feet, trying very hard not to look at him. "I'm not…fearless. I'm terrified. I don't know if Isaac is dying right now. I don't know if I made a mistake with Scott," she said with her voice starting to crack. "I don't know if we should trust Derek. I don't know if Stiles will ever forgive me what I did. I don't know-"

She couldn't find it in herself to keep talking but the Sheriff moved in to hug her. Allison started crying harder when he did. She felt that she didn't deserve this. To be comforted by the father of the one that she had done such horrible things to and still hadn't forgiven her and to be honest, a part of her didn't blame him. That on top of everything else going on with her. First that Isaac didn't look like he was getting any better. Than, after last night, she was even more confused on whether she made the right choice to let Scott go. And now with all the things going on with her father being on the run from the law now. She didn't know how that would affect their lives. She didn't know how to handle all of it.

"You want to know what's funny?" he asked her while he hugged her. "You're starting to sound just like a cop." That actually made Allison let a small laugh loose. He then pulled away and looked her in the eye. "And Allison, don't worry about my son. I heard all about what happened and I could see that wasn't your fault. You were in a bad place and your grandfather used that but it's not your fault and I know that deep down, Stiles knows that too. If you truly are sorry then just wait until he's ready to forgive you. I know you might not believe it now but he will. It'll just take time. Okay?" She wiped at her nose but nodded to him. "Okay," he said as he let go of her.

The Sheriff was about to start the elevator up again when his phone started blaring. He took it out and he and Allison saw an alert had been sent to him.

"What is that?" she asked him.

"Someone is breaking into my house. After Stiles started sleepwalking, I had some security precautions put in. Motion sensors. Cameras." He then moved to activate the cameras he installed. Suddenly, the feed started coming in.

"Is that his room?" she asked as she dimly recognized the place.

They focused their gaze and saw that there was someone in there. Sitting on the bed. It was Stiles. Or rather, the Nogitsune inside of him. He was looking straight at the camera, and waving at it. As if he knew that they were watching him right now.

* * *

 _The Nogitsune began to wreak havoc against not only the ones that Noshiko wished but on the innocent as well. It attacked the surviving Japanese Americans from the camp as well as the entire staff of Eichen House. Left bodies mangled and broken everywhere. Noshiko watched the devastation and knew that it had to stop. She had to stop it. So she ran off for the barracks and retrieved the sword that she had hidden underneath her bunk. She tracked the Nogitsune down and moved to attack it. She tried to fight it but it was too strong. However, it was surprised by Satomi and when she dug her claws into it from behind, Noshiko struck it with her sword. As she pulled it back out, it shattered into pieces. The Nogitsune fell in defeat. A fly emerged from the body's mouth and Noshiko quickly caught it. Rhys spoke the French term that she taught him: Coup de foudre. Then he was dead._

Noshiko finished assembling the sword. She then looked out the window to see that the sun was beginning to set. "Kira, you have to hurry. Night is coming."

"What's Coup de foudre?" Kira asked her.

"In French the literal translation is a bolt of lightning. It can also mean 'love at first sight'. But a bolt of lightning happens to be exactly what we need right now."

"For what?" Kira asked her mother.

"Exorcising the Nogitsune from Rhys' body shattered the katana but you can put it back together."

Kira looked over at the broken sword for a moment before looking over to her mother. "Why don't you just do it yourself?"

"Because I'm not a Thunder Kitsune," she said. "Do you trust me?"

Kira took another look at the sword before looking back at her. "I just found out that you're 900 years old. I don't think I'm going to trust you ever again," she said honestly.

Noshiko nodded. She understood Kira's feelings but that didn't change the fact that this had to be done. "Trust me on this."

She went and took Kira's hand and guided it above the sword. Scott watched as sparks started to flow from Kira's hand much like he had seen from Stiles' hand back at the animal clinic. Though these sparks were bright compared to how Stiles' were. The electricity ran through the sword and they all watched as the pieces of it started to meld together, until the sword was complete.

* * *

The Sheriff contacted Derek and Chris and told them about Stiles being in his room and they all headed for the Stilinski House. They all waited for each other by the front of the house and then moved in. They carefully went upstairs but saw that the room was empty.

Derek moved through the house but saw that there was no sign of him anywhere. "He's gone," he said when he met them all back in Stiles' room.

"But he left something behind." The Sheriff then pointed to a chessboard that had pieces set up with colored sticky notes.

"What is all this?" Chris asked as they all moved to hover over it. "What are these sticky notes for?"

"This is what Stiles used to try to explain to me about all of…you," the Sheriff said looking particularly over at Derek.

Allison narrowed her eyes at the board. "Maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles."

Chris moved to pick up one of the pieces that were taken out and saw that it was Isaac's. He analyzed the board fully and realized that all of the wolves and Deaton were on the same side. He also looked and saw that he and his family, along with Jennifer, Jackson and Matt were on the opposing side. He took a closer look and saw that Isaac's piece was actually of the opposing side as well.

Derek noticed something too. "Any reason why my name is on the King?"

The Sheriff looked at the board's setup. "Well, you're heavily guarded and I guess the alarming detail is that, you're one move from being in checkmate."

Chris realized what this was now. "It's not a message from Stiles. It's a threat from the Nogitsune."

Allison understood the message. "He's at the loft. That's what he's trying to tell us."

"And he wants us to come there," Chris finished.

Derek took a look out the window and saw the time. "Night's fallen."

"This couldn't sound any more like a trap," said Chris to the others.

The Sheriff shook his head. "I don't think it is."

"I think your opinion is slightly biased Sheriff," Chris said back to him.

The Sheriff held his hand out to him. "Look, here me out. What we're dealing with here is someone that apparently lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right?"

"Meaning what?" Chris asked him.

"I'll admit, despite how much Stiles has tried to explain all of this to me, I'm still lost on half of this stuff. But what I do understand is that our enemy isn't a killer by nature, it's a trickster. Killing is a by-product."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "If you're trying to say that it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that."

"It won't. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick. It wants, a joke. All we need to do…is come up with a new punchline."

Chris privately thought that Stilinski was trying to delude himself and bring the rest of them along with him. He understood, this wasn't just anyone they were dealing with, it was his son. But the reality was that this thing is wearing his son and will milk it for all the advantages that fact gives it. But he would keep a clear head, even if everyone else refused to. "The sun is setting Sheriff. What do you have in mind?"

* * *

Everyone looked in awe at the fact that the katana was now whole again. There was no sign that it had been broken in the first place. It looked just like new. Noshiko smiled and took it in her hand before holding it towards her daughter.

"Go ahead, it's yours now."

Kira just stared at it but didn't move to take it. "What if I don't want it?"

"You need it," she said simply before she threw it into the air. Kira quickly caught it and spun it like a master swordsman. "You see? It gives you balance. My power is yours now Kira. If the Oni can't stop Stiles then you have to. The same as I did. And…maybe seek out a wolf to help you."

Kira looked over at Scott and was surprised to see that he was glaring at her mother.

"You didn't tell us anything," he said angrily.

"You want to save Stiles, kill him. That's the only way," she told him.

Scott then turned to Mr. Yukimura. "You agree with this?"

"Sometimes history does repeat itself Scott," he told him simply.

"Only if you don't learn."

"Sometimes, even then, fate conspires against you."

Scott suddenly got a message from Allison. They found him. They found Stiles, in Derek's loft. Scott made a promise that he would save Stiles. Everyone was telling him that it was impossible, he wouldn't believe that. They had been in a situation like this before. He couldn't believe that they could save someone like Jackson but that they couldn't save Stiles. He wouldn't. If Mr. Yukimura believed that history repeats itself, fine. It will, by him saving someone that they couldn't believe could be saved.

"There's a way to save him. There has to be." He left it at that before he moved to head out to the loft.

Kira moved to follow after him but her mother called her name to stop her. She moved over to the sheath that was still on the table and handed it to her. Kira took it and re-sheathed the sword before following after Scott again.

Watching them leave, Noshiko moved to look back at her tail. "I'll keep it somewhere safe."

But her husband shook his head. "That's not what I'm worried about. History has not done well with making children into killers."

"These children played their part in this long before we came back to Beacon Hills. I buried the jar deep within the roots of the Nemeton. It was their sacrifice that brought its power back. They let the demon out of its cage."

He nodded but he still had a hard look on his face. "Scott was right about one thing. We didn't tell him anything. The truth about what really happened with his friend."

"I told him what he needed to know." His wife turned to look out at the setting sun. "It was a cruel twist of fate that it was Stiles who the Nogitsune had found that night, the night of a lunar eclipse. When all the wolves within them were rendered powerless and suppressed making them human. Especially a young wolf whose body was going through an evolutionary transition to accommodate the powers of a high werewolf rank. Something no one could've predicted, a trickster spirit taking a high stakes gamble to fight for dominion of a strong host body. A move that could've spelled the end of the boy, the fox and the wolf. A gamble that ultimately paid off and had the Nogitsune beating down the wolf and winning control of a powerful host. Now it is already stronger than it was before and who knows how much stronger it will become in time." Noshiko narrowed her eyes. "If they knew of this they would do whatever it took to stop me and not do what they must to stop him, before it's too late."

* * *

The Sheriff wanted to enter first. It was his son in there and he was sure, possessed or not, that nothing would happen to him. Allison, Chris and Derek understood and let him go first. He went and pulled the door open and quickly spotted his son. He was standing in front of the windows, just staring at the sunset. After a few seconds, he started to slowly turn around and face him. A sad look was on his face as he looked back at him.

"Hi dad," Stiles mumbled.


	18. De-Void

Chapter 18: De-Void

The Sheriff slowly and calmly made his way into the loft. This was Stiles, he knew it. The look that was on his face was purely that of his son. But, he knew that the people he had with him would be less inclined to believe it, and to be honest, he still found himself having to make sure. He reached for his pocket and pulled out his handcuffs.

Stiles stiffened a bit but kept his composer at the sight of them. "You want to handcuff me?" he asked in a small voice.

The Sheriff started to slowly step closer to him. "If my son is still here, if there is a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly and come with me. Because, he knows that I'm here to protect him. From himself and from others."

Stiles looked down at the cuffs firmly in his father's hands. He nodded. "Okay," he mumbled.

Stiles took a deep breath and then raised both of his hands up to him. The Sheriff moved in, slowly, and put them on his wrists. His eyes never left his son's face who was staring at the cuffs with a pained expression. When he was done, the Sheriff took a step back as Stiles was looking down at his wrists. He looked shocked to see that he was actually in handcuffs that his own father had to put him in. But, he then looked at the Sheriff with a hard glare in his eye. The Sheriff looked into his eyes to see that they weren't his son's bright honey brown eyes. They were dark, pitch black.

"You're not my son," the Sheriff said to him sternly.

Stiles shook his head before he went and broke the handcuffs right off.

As if on cue, the Argents and Derek moved in through the loft's entrance and made their way over to them. Stiles let an unimpressed scoff at the sight of them. The Sheriff backed away a bit as they started to surround Stiles.

Stiles looked over at Allison first and saw the electric taser in her hand. "Go ahead Allison," he mumbled to her in a quiet but hard tone of voice. "Don't worry about Scott. He'll understand."

Allison felt her insides freeze as he said that. She then heard an echo of those words in her memories. She quickly raised the taser and fired it but Stiles quickly caught it in his hands. The electricity poured into him but Stiles didn't so much as flinch. He just stood there and let the power run into him. When it was out, Stiles then yanked the cord and pulled the weapon out of Allison's grip. It flew off to the other side of the room and Allison actually took a step back at the dark look on Stiles' face.

Derek didn't spare another moment. He roared at Stiles before jumping for him with his claws out and ready. But Stiles quickly intercepted his strike and grabbed and pulled on his arm. Derek flinched as a strong wave of pain flowed into his body just as Stiles grabbed him by his collar and then slammed his head into the nearby table. Not sparing another second, Stiles then moved and launched Derek into a pillar across from him. Derek's back collided with it before he fell to the floor in a pained slump.

A second later, there was a loud click that echoed through the loft. Everyone turned to see that Chris had his gun out and was pointing it straight at Stiles. Stiles slowly turned so that he could face him directly though he didn't seem concerned with the loaded gun aimed right at him.

The Sheriff quickly raised his hand up toward the hunter. "Argent, listen to me, don't do this."

But Chris didn't let his gaze leave Stiles. "Why not?" he asked with his eyes hardening. "I've done it before. Werewolves, Berserkers…I could easily add Nogitsune to the list."

Derek had gotten to his feet and now was full on glaring at him. Stiles sensed the movement from him and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, Derek's mind started running a mile a minute. ' _I knew that we couldn't trust him_ ,' he thought as he glared hunter. ' _He said he would feel remorse about killing Stiles, but not a Nogitsune. That's all we are to people like him, creatures. Things to kill, things that look human but don't count as people. I should've remembered the truth then. He's a hunter. They don't help or save, they kill._ '

The Sheriff didn't spare another moment. He took his gun out and pointed it right at Argent's head. Stiles' eyes rose a bit comically as he tilted his head at this new little development.

"You're not going to shoot my son," he said firmly.

Chris spared him a look but didn't drop the gun. "You said it yourself Sheriff. That's not your son."

But the Sheriff wasn't listening to him. "Put it down," he told him, tightening his hold on his gun.

But Chris didn't put it down. He kept his gun aimed firmly at Stiles.

Stiles' face then softened and he started to pale a little as he began to look scared. "Dad," he whimpered out. "He's going to shoot me. Dad. Just like he tried to kill Scott, he's going to try and kill me again, dad."

His words made the Sheriff's hold on his gun start to shake as looked from his son back to Argent. He started to see red. "Put it down!" the Sheriff shouted at him. "I warned you what would happen! I swear, put it down now! Or I will shoot you!"

But Chris just narrowed his eyes at Stiles as the Nogitsune appealed to the Sheriff's need to protect his son. He looked back in time to see Stiles was turning to look at him. "Pull the trigger," Stiles said to him. "Come on, you know you want to." Stiles' eyes were narrowed as he looked the hunter straight in the eye. "You don't have to try to look for an excuse this time. Shoot me."

The Sheriff was shaking his grip on his gun even harder. "You listen to me, you put the gun down now!" he roared at Chris.

"Shoot me! Shoot me!" Stiles roared.

"Argent put the gun down!" the Sheriff roared.

The two of them were screaming at Chris while he was gripping his gun even harder and was shaking in anger himself. Off to the side, Derek had his claws out and was glaring at the hunter as well. With everyone screaming and glaring at one another, Allison was off to the side, watching all of it with apprehension. They all looked like they were a moment away from attacking one another. She knew that this was. "Strife," she mumbled.

The Sheriff's screaming was starting to make his whole body shake in anger and it looked like he was about to shoot Chris while Chris looked like he was a moment from actually shooting Stiles. Suddenly, the lighting inside the loft went away as the sun fully set giving way to night. Derek snapped out of his glaring to look out the window to realize that they were out of time.

Allison realized it too. "Stop!" she yelled. "This is what he wants! Exactly what he wants!"

Stiles turned to look over at her with an easy going look on his face. "Well, not exactly. Was kind of hoping Scott would be here. That would've been something. But, I am glad you have your guns and claws out. Because you're not here to kill me." Stiles then turned to look over at the window. Just then, four dark shapes materialized in front of them. The Oni. "You're here to protect me."

He then stepped back and the Oni started to step forward with their blades out and ready. The Sheriff immediately opened fire on the Oni while Argent's gun cocked as there was an empty round. He then took out his other one and saw it was the same. He quickly pulled the mag out to see that the first chamber bullet had been removed and he moved the rest of them up before putting it back in. He then joined the Sheriff in shooting the demons. Derek roared at the nearest one and moved in to attack. Allison brought out one of her knives to face another one. In the commotion, they didn't see that Stiles had vanished from the loft.

* * *

Scott and Kira were on his bike as he was trying to get to the loft as quickly as he could. The sun had already set which meant that the Oni were active again. They would be hunting Stiles right now. Scott pulled them up in front of the loft and the both of them quickly hopped off the bike. They could already hear the loud bangs of gunfire and even the echoes of a roar. They spared each other a nervous glance before they ran into the building. They ran as fast as they could and froze when they got through the sliding door. Derek, the Sheriff, Allison and her father were all there and seemed to be a little winded and freaked. Allison's father had pulled his gun in their direction but dropped it when he saw it was them. There was no sign of Stiles anywhere.

"What happened?" Scott quickly asked them.

"They disappeared," Allison panted out to him. "They literally just vanished."

"So did Stiles," the Sheriff told him.

* * *

With the picture on hand, Noshiko went off for Eichen House. She thought it was high time that she see Rhys again as his resting place had been disturbed. She went to the basement and quickly found him. He was fully exposed with the pieces of the wall left all on the front of his tomb. She went to pick up two pieces of the wall to see the kanji she had carved into the wall so long ago within them.

"Why that kanji?" Noshiko stiffened as Stiles slowly made his way out from around the corner. Not Stiles, Void. "Why Self?"

Noshiko didn't let herself be afraid or intimidated by the Nogitsune. She just went to look back at Rhys. "To signify that he died as himself. Because Rhys wasn't a monster." She then stood up and brought out her kai ken blade and faced him. "Not like you."

Void then looked at himself. "Which 'you' are you talking about? Me…or the flea bitten mongrel that I locked away. Try not to forget, I'm not the one who killed Rhys. It was that Go playing wolf that burned him and condemned his last moments to be of agony. I'm actually the one that brought him back to you and let him have an ending in your arms. If anything, you should be thanking me."

Noshiko stiffened as the memory of seeing Rhys burn in front of her found its way into her eyes again. She quickly blinked them away. "Satomi lost control…because of me. I see that now. When she had control she chose to do the right thing in the end, help stop a monster like you."

Void nodded before he moved to approach her. "If I'm such a monster, why did you call off the Oni, hmm? What happened to the woman that called out for Chaos, Strife and Pain to descend upon everyone and everything? What happened?" he asked stopping right in front of her.

"I don't want that anymore," she told him sternly.

"I do." He then moved and quickly gripped her wrist and looked down at her tail. "You bring this here, thinking you could hide it from me." He then moved to snatch it up. "Bad idea." He then moved and stuck the blade right into himself.

Noshiko gasped at the sight of Void cutting into himself with her blade. "What have you done?"

Void started to swagger a bit as the wound started to bleed. He started to stumble until he ended up crutched on all fours. "What we've done," he gasped. "Thanks to your daughter, thanks to you coming here again." He then rose his head to look into Noshiko's horrified face. "Chaos has come again."

From his bleeding wound, flies started to make their way out and began to fly out like a cloud. Noshiko batted them away until they were all gone. But, when she looked back into the room she saw that both Void and her tail were gone. Noshiko was horrified. Was the nogitsune right? Had she actually had been responsible for this happening again? What had she done?

* * *

The flies flew off into the night, to stir up chaos, strife and pain wherever it lurked. One of them was flying through the halls of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. It made its way over to Isaac's room where he still lay on the hospital bed. It flew over and landed to where the I.V. was stuck into his arm. It dug its way into where the needle was injected until it found its way into his body. As soon as it was in, Isaac's eyes shot open with his golden eyes shining through in the dark room.

* * *

Scott slowly made his way into his room with Kira following after him.

"Thanks for letting me stay," she said to him as they walked inside. "I just…didn't want to go home yet." With everything that she had learned from her parents, she couldn't find it in her to just be able to return home like everything was still the same. "I feel like I don't even know them anymore"

Scott had understood. Kira's world had been turned upside down and she needed time to process it all. "I could loan you a T-shirt if you want?" he offered.

She shook her head. "I'm okay."

Scott nodded before looking at his bed. "Take the bed. I'll sleep on the chair." He moved to sit in his chair facing the bed while she moved to lay down and face him. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. Kira watched as Scott nodded back before he moved to try and get some sleep. But, Kira didn't know if she would get any sleep. If so, then it wasn't right for him to sleep like that when she wouldn't. "Scott?" she called out making him turn to her. "I don't want you to sleep on the chair."

He just smiled at her. "I've woken up plenty of times in this thing," he said dismissively before he moved to try and sleep again.

"Please don't sleep in the chair," she said to him. Kira sent him a small smile and Scott let a sigh loose before he got up. Kira moved aside and Scott went to lay down facing her. Kira could see that even though he was smiling, it didn't reach his eyes. He was still too worried about his best friend. "We're going to save him. We'll figure it out."

Scott caught Kira's eye and then slowly went in for a soft kiss. He pulled away and smiled. He thought that it felt nice. He didn't feel any urgency or impending danger from this kiss. He felt his tension deflate out of him as Kira turned around so that she could get some sleep. Scott moved in closer to spoon her and found himself closing his eyes to go to sleep as well. Both of them had content smiles on their faces.

What they didn't notice was that there was a fly buzzing around outside the window. It seemed to be watching them before flying off.

* * *

Allison was sitting in a car as her father drove them until they were about two blocks away from the apartment. They couldn't risk getting any closer in case there was still some Feds watching the place, waiting to see if he would be back. The car stopped but Allison didn't move to get out of the car yet.

She was staring at her hands as she was rubbing them against each other. "Dad?" she asked after a moment. "Were you really going to pull the trigger on Stiles?"

He was still staring ahead and he narrowed his eyes. "To be honest, I'm not really sure."

She nodded. "Your first chambers were empty."

Chris remembered his earlier trouble with his guns. "You did that?"

"When you sent me to get your bag back at the Sheriff's house. I opened it and saw the guns."

Chris let a small smile loose as he went to caress his daughter's cheek. "That's why the women are the leaders in our family. Now, go on and try to get some rest sweetheart. I'm a call away if you need me."

She nodded. "Be careful."

"I will be. Don't worry about me."

Allison then opened the door and stepped out of the car. She then walked off for the apartment with her father watching her for a few moments before he began to drive off and head to his hiding spot at the abandoned train depot. Allison got into the apartment and headed for her room. She opened the door but froze when she saw that there was someone inside. It was Isaac and he was sitting on her bed, seemingly in wait.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him as she moved off to sit by him.

Isaac just sat there, staring off seemingly into space for a second before he looked over at her. "Thought I'd come and see you," he said to her softly.

"You didn't just walk out of the hospital, did you?"

He then smiled. "It's okay. I feel a lot better." Allison then moved over and looked him up and down. "All healed," he told her.

She gave him a small smile too. "Giving you the alarm code is a bad idea."

"Maybe," he said to her showing some teeth. "Uh, I noticed that your father isn't here. Looks like he hadn't been here in days."

"Yeah, it's a long story," she sighed out.

"Oh. So…you're alone here now?" he asked pointedly.

Allison narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Giving you the code was a _really_ bad idea."

They both let small chuckles loose before Isaac went and leaned in to capture Allison in a kiss. He then slowly moved to push her into the bed as Allison moved to grab at the back of his head. Isaac moved to kiss over at Allison's neck while she let a content sigh out and closed her eyes. Isaac's eyes however were open and glowing. That was because he was detecting another scent on Allison's bed. A certain Alpha ex boyfriend's. It made him start to kiss at her harder and moved to pull her blouse off.

* * *

Derek went and spilled out some chess pieces off on the board. He was so focused on moving to begin arranging them that he didn't notice his uncle moving for him until he spoke.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked him. Derek didn't look up from what he was doing. Peter then noticed the large cut on the back of his shoulder. "More importantly, why aren't you healing?"

Derek turned to see that the cut still looked a little fresh. "It's from one of their swords. It'll heal."

"By playing chess?" he asked giving the pieces a look.

"Back in his room Stiles had a board with my name on one of the pieces. If this is a game to him then I need to figure out the plays."

Peter nodded before moving to pick up one of the pieces. "It's not so easy to do when it's a game without rules."

Derek stopped and finally looked at him. "What does that mean?"

"You're dealing with a spirit that lived too long to play by any rules. It's a fox spirit that chose to become human. I've heard that something they could only do after they lived about a hundred years."

"The Nogitsune told Scott it was a thousand years old."

Peter smirked. "There you go. See, if a kitsune is an annoying pain in the ass then a nogitsune, which is a dark kitsune, is a freaking disaster. Besides, you're looking at this wrong. Chess is Stiles' game. It's not the game of a Japanese fox. Do yourself a favor and put something on that," he said looking at the direction of Derek's cut. "Before it gets infected." Peter then moved to put on his jacket and was starting to leave.

"Where are you heading off to?" Derek mumbled after him.

Peter stopped moving as he was making his way to the door. Since Peter was facing the door and Derek was looking at him, neither noticed the fly by the window that started to swoop down and make its way for Derek's wound.

Peter just smiled. "I have things I have to do."

"Like what?" Derek asked skeptically.

"Private things," he said making it to the door.

"So you're not going to help? Shocker."

Peter then finally turned to face his nephew. "Hey, don't get me wrong. I like Stiles. He's a smart kid, and has got the right stuff, but he's as good as lost now. Everyone deluding themselves is not doing anybody any favors."

"Even after how happy you were to find that he helped ensure our family line had a future?" Derek seethed out a bit.

"Given that you seem to always have a death wish, yeah. Hopefully Cora will have a bit more sense and teach our future niece or nephew to keep out of trouble, and out of hunters' like the Argents sights. Last thing they need is inspiration to finish the job." Peter then moved out of the door.

The fly resting on Derek's shoulder then dug its way into the wound and after a moment, Derek's eyes fell into a slight glare as his blue eyes flared up.

* * *

Ethan stepped into the locker room at the school with Danny. He had convinced Ethan to join him with some of his lacrosse buddies for a little practice game on the field. Ethan moved for the sink while Danny moved over for his locker.

"I gotta say, you did great out there," Danny said to him. "You'd definitely make the team next spring. Well, I mean, if you want to." He saw that Ethan didn't seem too into the idea.

"No, I want to," Ethan said to him.

Danny noticed that Ethan seemed distracted by something. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I mean…I kind of don't know if this is the place for me. For us."

He could see that Danny knew he meant him and his brother. Ethan didn't know if they were going to stay. Right now, it didn't seem that Scott was any closer to letting them be in his pack. Right now, he seemed to keep them around because they were being useful. But, after their attack on Kincaid, as well as the attack on Stiles, Scott looked like he was no closer in considering letting them be a part of his pack.

Ethan moved to gather some water to cool himself down with but he didn't notice a fly had flown into his hand as he was bringing the water to his face.

Danny moved to sit down. "I mean, if you're leaving school again, is it about your brother?"

Ethan was still. The fly had flown into his mouth as he splashed himself. He slowly rose to face his reflection in the mirror. Ethan then couldn't help but think that it was Aiden who had been the one to initiate their attack on Stiles in the first place. And the one that scared Kira the night at Scott's house with the Oni. Not to mention that he was the one that kept suggesting to Scott and his friends to attack the truck driver and was the first one to strike at Kincaid.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "It's always about my brother, isn't it?"

Danny noticed that Ethan sounded a bit strange. "You alright?" he asked him.

Ethan moved to take his shirt off. "I think I'm going to take a little shower."

Danny nodded. "Okay."

But Ethan gave him a stern look. "So are you."

Danny couldn't help the smile. He remembered that it was Saturday and they were the only ones in here. "Okay," he said before taking his shirt off and following after him.

* * *

Lydia was riding along with Aiden in her car as she heard her GPS tell her to take a right.

"You going to tell me where we're going?" Aiden asked her.

"Need to check on something," she told him.

Aiden the noticed the crumbled up paper in the cup holder and read it. "Uh, how's Maleia Tate?" he asked.

"Malia," she corrected him before snatching it from him. "You don't need to worry about it." She then heard the GPS ask her to take a right.

Aiden nodded as he looked off at the road. "Well, I'm actually a little worried that we're totally lost."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Why do you think that?"

Aiden raised his eyebrows up. "Uh, because you just made your fourth right, and four rights make a circle."

"I did not," she said quickly before she narrowed her eyes. "Did I?" Aiden just let his silence answer for him. "It's a brand new car. The GPS was fine before."

"Well, maybe the GPS would work better if it was on," he told her like it was obvious.

"What?" Lydia then looked over to see that the GPS was indeed off.

Aiden's nose crinkled as he felt Lydia's anxiety shoot up in that instant. He looked over to see that Lydia was now frantically pushing the buttons on the console. He looked over and saw that she had a dazed look on her face. One that he had seen before. "Lydia? You okay?"

She gasped. "I need to stop. I need to pull over right now!"

Lydia then quickly pulled the car into what seemed to be a parking lot but she was driving erratically.

"Lydia? Lydia!" Aiden said as he tried to make her stop and calm down. Aiden's eyes widened when he saw that they were moving right for what seemed to be a body lying on the pavement. "Lydia, stop!"

Lydia went and stopped the car. The two of them quickly got out and looked over at the body. Their eyes widened when they saw that it was Stiles.

"Oh my god," Lydia gasped out.

Aiden quickly picked up the scent of blood in the air and both of them saw that it looked like his shirt was torn in the front as if he had been cut across his stomach. He wasn't moving a muscle. As the two of them were looking shell shocked at Stiles, a fly started to buzz around towards Aiden. It flew right for his ear and made its way into him. As it did, his eyes flashed a momentary flash of blue and they narrowed down a bit.

"Call Scott!" he told her.

Aiden then moved off to go grab Stiles off the ground and carry him into the back seat.

* * *

Allison was starting to stir herself awake and found that she was alone in bed. She then sat up and spotted Isaac standing in front of her mirror and dresser across the room.

"Isaac?"

He kept his head down as he held some of Allison's equipment. "You have a lot of weapons here," he mumbled to her. He then looked up at the mirror towards her. "I thought your new code was about protecting?"

"Most of them are non-lethal," she told him.

He then went and held up one of her ring daggers. "This looks pretty lethal to me. Maybe you should keep it. There are still quite a few of us out there that are quite lethal. Like the twins."

"I thought we were going to give them a second chance?"

A dark thought started to seep into Isaac's mind. ' _A second chance? Aiden and Ethan getting a second chance? After they used their first chance to kill Erica and Boyd and tried to kill all of us? We're just supposed to give them a second chance?_ '

"They don't deserve it," he said out loud.

"Things are different now. They don't have to be that way anymore," Allison said to him.

Isaac then moved to zip up Allison's bag before taking it. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that." He then moved to head out the room.

"Isaac, wait," Allison said before she pulled the blanket off her to go after him. But she froze when she saw that both her ankles were cuffed to the railing of her bed. "Isaac!" she cried after him.

Isaac heard her cries but disregarded them and kept going out of the apartment.

' _The twins shouldn't be with us. What, we're just pretending that they didn't do all those things to us and just let them into the pack? Before you know it, we'll all be playing lacrosse together. Why, because Scott says so? He doesn't really want to give them a second chance, not really. He hates them just like I do. The only reason he is letting them hang around is because he thinks by forgiving them then it'll soften Stiles up into forgiving Allison. Because he wants to get back with her. And, so does she. After all…that's why he was in her room with her. In her bed._ ' Isaac's hold on the bag tightened at that thought. ' _Well, I'm putting a stop to this right now._ '

* * *

Scott, Aiden and Deaton were carrying Stiles into his living room with Melissa and Lydia watching in horror behind them. Stiles wasn't even reacting to them carrying him and his wound was exposed for all of them to see.

"The couch, put him on the couch," Scott grunted out.

They moved to sit him up into the couch where he still wasn't moving.

"Guys, this is crazy. He needs to be in the hospital," Melissa said to them.

Scott looked back at his mother. "Mom, remember the last time he went to the hospital?"

Deaton moved to take a better look at the wound. "It doesn't look like he's bleeding," he told all of them. "I think he might even be healing."

Aiden narrowed his eyes. "Wait, you mean he's able to heal again?"

"That's good, right?" Scott asked him.

Deaton backed up a bit. "For him, yes. For us, I'm not so sure."

Melissa went and pulled out her phone.

* * *

In the Sheriff's office, his phone was out on the table and it lit up as Melissa started to call him. Agent McCall saw who was calling the man before he went to cancel the call to the Sheriff's annoyance.

"You got some priorities to attend to Sheriff?" he asked him. He spared a second to again wonder about what exactly his ex-wife would need to call the Sheriff for. Something that no doubt seemed to involve their sons and all of their friends.

Sheriff Stilinski gave him a look. "McCall, trust me when I tell you that you don't have a clue about my current priorities."

McCall narrowed his eyes. "Well, if you don't show up to this preliminary hearing then you'll be out of a job." He saw the Sheriff scoff at him before he moved to get his gun and his badge from his desk drawer. "Why are you bringing those?"

"In case I'm turning them in."

The Sheriff then moved off to face the board while his phone started ringing again. Before McCall moved to follow after him, he saw that it was Melissa calling him again.

The Sheriff moved into the meeting room where he moved to sit down in front of the board while McCall stood off to the side.

"As a reminder Sheriff, we're just here to talk," the councilwoman said to him. She then moved a small pile of files in front of herself. Right next to a stack of files much taller. "We want to review both the successes and the failures."

The Sheriff looked over at the two stacks. "Which pile is which?" he asked nonchalantly. That made the board members share a look with each other. "Sorry I asked."

The councilwoman just let a frustrated sigh loose. "Is there anything that you would like to say on your own behalf Mr. Stilinski."

He narrowed his eyes. "As far as I know, it's still Sheriff, until you relieve me of this position. And, if you do decide to relieve me of this position then get to deciding because this whole hearing crap, it's a waste of time."

The Sheriff then moved to get up as he wasn't in the mood to hear a long list of why he should be removed from his position, especially with his son still out there and in trouble.

But before the Sheriff could leave, Agent McCall stepped forward. "I'd like to say a few words of my own," he said out to the room.

The Sheriff stopped. "Fantastic."

McCall moved to stand directly in front of the board. "Let me as short and distinct as possible."

The Sheriff braced himself for whatever McCall was going to say to be the final nail in the coffin.

* * *

"Okay, if we're not going to kill him then why aren't we at least tying him down with really big chains?" Aiden asked them.

Deaton went for his bag. "I might have something more effective." He then went and pulled out a vial.

Scott knew what Deaton had in it. He looked to Aiden and they then moved to hold Stiles' cheeks and forced his mouth open. Deaton then uncapped the dropper lid of the vial and held it over the boy's mouth before releasing some of the clear liquid into him. The moment after he did, Stiles' eyes shot open. He then quickly got a firm grip on both Aiden's wrist and his throat. The sudden move made both Scott and Deaton jump back.

Aiden was trapped though. "Get him off me," he coughed out. "Get him off me!"

Scott moved to pull on Stiles' arms to make him let go. Stiles was smiling widely as he tightly held him but Scott managed to pull him free of Aiden. Stiles then tried to move but saw that his hands and his arms were going numb. Soon, he found that he couldn't even hold his arms up anymore.

"Kanima Venom," Stiles spat out. "Nice touch doc." Aiden moved to roar at him but Stiles didn't even flinch. "You know, they say that twins get a feeling when the other one's in pain. You didn't lose that talent too, did you?" he asked amusingly. "Oh, I hope not. You're going to need it." At that, Aiden moved to share a confused look with Scott. Stiles rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll give a little hint. Ethan's at the school," he said in a whisper.

That made Aiden's eyes widen.

"Go!" Scott said to him.

Aiden then took off, out the door.

Stiles then let his head rest back as he let a small laugh loose. "Oh, I hope he gets there in time. I like the twins. Short tempers, homicidal compulsions. They're a lot more fun than you bakemono trying to save the world every day." He then let his eyes fall on Scott. "You know, Stiles could be so much more too, if he didn't keep letting you make him into your whipped dog by yanking his leash every time he wants to let a growl loose." He then let some soft, amused chuckling loose that made Scott narrow his eyes at him.

"Doc, you brought something to paralyze his body, you got something for his mouth?" Melissa asked him as she glared at the fox wearing their beloved boy's skin.

"I do," he nodded. "But first, I want to ask him something."

Stiles' eyes widened. "Oh? Well, by all means doctor, diagnose me. I don't think I'm going anywhere just yet," he chuckled.

Deaton narrowed his eyes at the boy. "There are certain rules that must be followed. Even by you."

Stiles smiled. "I didn't break any rules. Bent but not broken."

"You can't be a wolf and a fox at the same time and Stiles was already a wolf," Deaton pointed out.

Stiles let a chuckle loose. "True. He was...until he wasn't. I was trapped, underneath the Nemeton, until I was released when I felt it surge with power again." Everyone tensed. They knew what had caused that to happen. "Then I found Stiles, knocked out in his little jeep, slowly regressing. When the moon went dark, I moved in and worked fast to gain an internal foothold with him. For days, from the inside I had to struggle to keep that wolf of his at bay. Both of us trying to sap Stiles for strength to overcome the other."

Deaton nodded. That explained why Stiles was starting to look weaker and more tired as time went on, and why he was starting to see things. It was the strain of the wolf and the fox inside him taking their physical toll on him. "But, clearly you won in the end, which is surprising. The wolf you were up against wasn't any meager one."

Stiles then narrowed his eyes a bit in anger. "You're right about that one. For weeks that thing had been a thorn in my side. Though...that changed when I finally got my hooks firmly into the core of Stiles' mind." He then went and took a deep breath as if he inhaled a delicious smell. "So much chaos, strife and pain inside of him. More than you could even imagine and it was enough to vitalize me. Enough to take control of his body though only when he was asleep. I went and created more chaos, strife and pain with the accident and Barrow to try and make me strong enough to take him fully though I thought it still might not be enough. But then...then came Kira. Kira's little show at the substation; making all of that electricity flow through the air. Stiles went and rushed in trying to help her and then went and got himself zapped." He then looked over at Scott. "You wolves don't do so good with electricity, right? Stiles' wolf didn't. Kira knocked him out. But what makes you wolves weaker makes us foxes stronger. I became strong enough to banish that wolf away and it was too weak to even try and stop me. And you all have Kira and her family to thank for that. If they hadn't shown up when they did, well there's a chance that Stiles might be six feet under right now, with me too. I guess I should be thanking them too," he smirked. "Now I'm free to keep creating chaos, strife and pain and only get stronger and stronger."

Scott's right hand tightened into a fist as he glared at the Nogitsune as it mocked both Stiles and Kira right to his face.

But Lydia shook her head. "Why?" she asked making everyone look at her. "Why go through all that trouble and risk that much? You could've just found someone easier for you to possess. Why go through all that to get Stiles?"

Stiles just raised his eyebrows at her. "Why else Lydia? Power. Plain and simple. I admit, I could sense that Stiles would be a strong host but taking him worked better than I could've dreamed. It was more than worth the hassle of tossing around with his overgrown mutt. Last time I touched down here I took the body of a burnt dead man and was a nuisance. Now, with this one, I've become a true force of nature. One suiting a spirit that has been around for over a thousand years. I mean, you've seen what I can do now. Seen, and felt."

Stiles then narrowed his eyes at Scott. He squinted his eyes as he felt a thought speed through his head out of nowhere. _'Stiles had to have been dreaming or hallucinating. He just said that he had been at the school and then was in his bed so it had to be a dream…and maybe something else. After all, I could still smell it, a lot of it, all around him.'_ When the thought was finished running through his head Scott's eyes widened. That had been the thought that ran through his mind when Stiles had been trying tell him about leaving the message for Barrow. Scott had just shrugged off Stiles' problem as a drunken nightmare and then left him alone. "What did you do to me?" he asked him.

"I didn't do anything Scott, that was all you. I just helped a certain part of your mind focus more over the rest, and honestly, with you it wasn't that hard," Stiles smirked at him. "I barely had to even try. Derek, the twins and Isaac, now they actually take some effort though barely much more than you." He finished with low throat chuckle.

Scott and Lydia shared a look at that while Deaton sighed and moved for Stiles with a roll of tape. He then moved and finally sealed his mouth shut. He backed away and they all looked as Stiles made an angry muffled shout at them.

Scott, Lydia and Deaton moved themselves into the kitchen while Melissa stayed in the room with Stiles.

Once they were away from Stiles, Scott went and ran his hand furiously through the front of his hair. "I can't believe he actually got into my head like that. Got me to just ignore Stiles when he was in trouble. And not just mine either. He must've got to Barrow and to into Derek, Isaac, Ethan, Aiden and who knows who else. Is it supposed to be able to do that?" he asked looking at Deaton.

"To my knowledge that's not a typical kitsune ability. But then again, there hasn't been much documented about kitsunes that live passed 1000 years. Even less about dark kitsunes."

"And what do you think he meant when he said that taking Stiles did more for him then he even dreamed it would?"

Deaton shook his head. "Not exactly sure. I have a few theories but now isn't the time to get into it."

"How much longer do you think we have?" Scott asked him. He knew that kanima venom didn't last for long against werewolves and he guessed that it wouldn't last long against a nogitsune either.

Deaton shrugged his shoulders. "I wish I knew. But if we don't figure out something soon, we're going to need to figure out a better place to keep him. I think we are grossly underestimating the danger here. He might be paralyzed…but it still feels as if he's got us right in the palm of his hand."

Over where Stiles was sitting, Melissa was looking at the wound. She had just finished cleaning and putting some ointment on it before she started to wrap it up. As she did, she slowly looked up to see that Stiles seemed to be crying.

"Stiles?" He nodded as a tear fell right from his left eye.

Melissa moved to take the tape off and Stiles let a soft cough loose before he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Really Melissa? I shed one tear, that's all it takes? Come on, you can't crumble that easily. How are you going to hold up when Scott knows the truth?"

Melissa stiffened. "What?"

"When he finds out why his dad really left," he said before he lifted his head a bit. "You know he overheard it, right? Stiles…you had no idea," he realized. "You called Stilinski right after it happened. You didn't tell Scott, but you told the Sheriff," he said comically. "And Stiles heard it like he hears everything. Even before the super hearing, he heard everything. But he never tells Scott of some of the bad things he hears because he doesn't want to hurt him. Stiles knew that Scott would hate you if he found out; because deep down though he tries hard not to admit it, even to himself, he knows that Scott is pathetic. Weak. The bite didn't change that about your son," he said with a bit of a sneer.

Melissa looked away from the smug look on Stiles' face. "This isn't you Stiles."

"It is now," he nodded.

Melissa didn't want to hear any more. She went and put the tape firmly back over his mouth but Stiles still kept the smug look about him.

"The scroll said to change his body, right?" Lydia asked Deaton back in the kitchen.

Deaton nodded. "That's if I translated it correctly. But we're looking for a cure in something that might actually be nothing more than a proverb or a metaphor."

Scott then leaned in. "And what if he doesn't want it? I mean, he just got himself cured."

Lydia narrowed her eyes at him. "Cured? Scott, does that look cured to you?" she asked pointing to where they could still see Stiles sitting in the chair staring off with a dark look in his eye.

Scott spared Stiles a look before he turned away. "What if he doesn't want to go back? I mean, he's got a chance to be normal now. What if he doesn't want to become a werewolf again?"

"Then he has a funny way of showing it," she mumbled.

Scott straightened himself. "What do you mean?"

Lydia looked down at her hands. "Stiles…he's been trying to find a way to turn himself back into a werewolf. In his room, I found a bunch of old books and manuscripts. A lot of it was in Latin but from what I could see, they were all myths and legends about werewolves, specifically how to turn into one."

Scott was a little thrown by all of this. "How can we even be sure that's what he was even trying to do?"

"Because he got the research from me," Deaton told them, making the two look over at him. "I gave him those books. A few days after the eclipse, Stiles came to me at the clinic. He asked for my help to look and find a way to undo what happened to him and turn him back."

Scott narrowed his eyes a bit. "What? Why? He never said anything to me. Why didn't he tell me about this? Ask me to help him?" If Stiles really wanted to go back to being a werewolf, why didn't he ask him to give him the bite?

Deaton nodded at him. "Yes, I did ask that. A bite from an Alpha was a surefire way for him to turn back and he could just ask you. Stiles just told me that asking you for the bite wasn't an option. He also asked me not to say anything to you about this."

"What? Why?" Scott didn't understand. Why would Stiles go and do all of this behind his back?

"To be honest," Lydia said making Scott look back at her. "I think he didn't want to put you through the same thing that Jackson did. You know when he was trying to get you into helping him become a werewolf. Stiles didn't want to make or guilt you into doing this for him. He knew that you didn't like it when you became an Alpha and didn't want to take advantage of you. He is your best friend Scott."

Scott could only stare at her. He didn't know what to say. From what he saw, Stiles didn't seem any different to him the entire time after the eclipse before all of this stuff started. To him, Stiles didn't seem to upset at all to not be a werewolf anymore. He seemed…normal, which is what Scott had actually been a little jealous about. But from the sound of it, Stiles wasn't as happy about this as Scott thought he was. He shook himself out of these thoughts. "So, okay, he may want it…but I've never done this before. What if I bite too hard and hit an artery?"

Lydia widened her eyes at him. "Scott, you and Stiles were practically mauled the night you both were bitten and you two came out fine. This might be the only way to save his life."

"If it does work," Deaton said to them.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't it work if it worked before?" Scott asked him.

"We're now in uncharted territory. No one has ever been bitten twice before. But, what I do know is that poison is not going to last long. Whatever we are going to do, it must happen sooner rather than later."

Scott sighed. "Let me try calling Derek again."

Now it was Lydia who sighed. "Maybe we should call somebody else."

Lydia felt like she was going to get her teeth pulled out. Scott caught her eye and then he suddenly understood who she was talking about. Scott would've preferred his teeth pulled.

Soon enough, the doorbell rang and Scott moved to answer it and glared a bit at the happy face of Peter Hale.


	19. De-Void part 2

Chapter 19: De-Void part 2

Chris had got a text telling him that Allison needed help back at the apartment. He carefully snuck into the building through the side entrance and went up to the stairs. He got to the door and drew his gun before he opened the door and went in. He quickly went to his daughter's room but found that she wasn't there. But he did find a pair of picked cuffs on the bed.

He went and pulled out his phone and called Allison. He was relieved when he heard her pick up right away. "Allison, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she breathed out a bit heavily.

"Are you okay? What happened? I'm in your room right now."

"It was Isaac. He cuffed me to my bed then he took off with some of our weapons."

Chris narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why would he do that?"

"I'm not sure. He wasn't acting like himself. There was some kind of look in his eye. It's the kind of look I've seen from Scott and the others during the full moon."

Chris knew it couldn't be that. The full moon wasn't for another two weeks. "Did he say anything to you?"

"Uh…yeah, he mentioned the twins. He felt they didn't deserve us giving them a chance and then he left. Luckily I was able to reach for my bed drawer. I keep some pins in there and was able to pick the locks."

Chris didn't want to think what Isaac would do with all the weapons he just took. "We have to find him. Do you know where he could've gone?" he asked as he started to leave her room.

"I think he went to the school. I tried to catch up but he has a head start."

"I'm on my way." He then hung up and re-checked his gun before heading for his door. However, he saw that there was someone at the door. "Derek?" he asked surprised that the werewolf was there. "What are you doing here?"

Derek then moved on inside. "I need to show you something." Derek headed off for Chris office. He moved on inside and Chris followed after him. Derek then reached into his pocket and then took out his mother's claws and poured them onto the table for the hunter to see. "Do you know who these belong to?" He took a moment as he saw that Chris looked lost on what was going on. That only made his eyes narrower. "These claws are all that was left of my mother after your psychotic sister burned her and the rest of my family alive."

At that, Chris started to stiffen up a bit. Derek then turned to face him and Chris noticed that there was a certain dark look in Derek's eyes. The same kind of look that Allison had just told him she noticed were in Isaac's eyes. He began to reach for his gun but before he could pull it out, Derek pounced for him.

* * *

Peter was circling the couch where Stiles was gagged and sitting with a calculating look.

"You know, if I didn't know he had been turned before, I wouldn't believe he could survive a slap to the face let alone a bite from a werewolf." He then kneeled in front of him and saw Stiles' dark eyes following after him with precision.

Scott watched him nervously. "You don't think it would work?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It's never happened before. Someone getting the bite twice. I think this is our chance to actually see what happens." Peter actually sounded curious and eager to see that for himself.

Scott then glared at him. He didn't want to gamble and experiment with Stiles' life like that. If he did take the risk and bite him then that would be a last resort. "Do you know of anything else that has a better chance?"

Peter straightened himself up a bit. "I might." Scott took a step closer to show that he had his attention. "You see, what's happening to Stiles is more of a war of the mind than of the body. There might be other methods to help him win this battle."

Now Deaton stepped closer. "What kind of methods?"

Peter then reached out for Scott's hand and forced him to unsheathe his claws. "We're going to get inside his head."

Everyone, even Stiles, had their eyes widen at the sound of that.

* * *

Danny and Ethan moved out of the showers cleaner and happier than they were when they first got in.

"So, should I tell Coach that you're trying out for the team?" Danny asked him.

Ethan stopped walking just as he got to the locker room doorway. "I'll think about it," he mumbled.

"Sounds like a yes to me," Danny said happily as he left

Ethan watched him walk off before he felt someone watching him from behind. He instantly knew who it was without even looking, his brother. "What?" he spat out, not even turning to face him.

"Trying out for the team?" Aiden said in slight disbelief.

"Why not?" Ethan muttered to him.

Aiden scoffed as he moved off from his place on the wall. "You have no idea what's going on right now, do you?" he asked as he moved to face his brother.

Ethan finally turned to look at him. "Why should I care? Scott's never going to trust us anyway. Have you seen the way he looks at us? Like dogs that bit the neighbor. One more little incident and he's either going to let us go or put us down."

Aiden smirked at him. "I'm starting to think the same thing about you." He then moved to reveal his claws at both his hands.

Ethan gave his brother's claws a look before he rolled his eyes. "You see, that's what I'm talking about," he said ready to get all of his feelings out in the open. "I would probably be in his pack right now if it wasn't for my psychotic brother. The one that has to kill everything in sight." They began to circle one another.

Aiden gave his brother a dark smirk and began to let his own feelings out in the open. "Careful Ethan, you're currently the only thing in my sight. Try not to forget, that we wouldn't even still be in this town, trying to be in Scott's pack, if it wasn't for me. Maybe I'm so psychotic because I have to keep compensating for my coward of a brother. The one always ready to give up and run at the first sign of trouble." Aiden then let out a fanged roar at him.

"I'm not running now," Ethan spat before he answered his brother's roar and then charged for him.

They then grabbed at one another and were ready to start tearing each other apart when there was a loud bang. After that, the two of them felt a surge of electricity flow into their bodies and make them fall to the ground. Off to the side was Isaac who had Allison's modified taser gun. He then moved to rest it on his shoulders as he moved to smirk down at the two of them.

"I guess this is the part where I say something witty." He then moved and slammed the butt of the gun into Ethan's face and knocked him out before facing Aiden. "I'm not witty." He then went and slammed the gun into Aiden's face, knocking him out too. Isaac then moved and dragged the twins into the locker room before he went into Coach's office. He didn't have anything lethal enough from what he brought from Allison's so he needed to find something. He began to rummage around before he found a hidden vodka bottle in Coach's private locker. He smiled and took a rag and made a Molotov cocktail. Now he just needed to ignite it and began to look through his desk and drawers. "Come on Coach, you've got to have a lighter." And he did. He flicked it and made a flame appear. "This is for Erica. For Boyd. For everyone." He then ignited the cocktail. "Scott, Allison...you're not to do anything so I'm going to," he mumbled as he made his way out of the office. "I'm going to burn 'em." But before he could use it, a blade came and severed the burning cloth away from the bottle. Isaac smirked at the sight of Kira with her katana. "Nice sword."

He then dropped the bottle and started to move for her. She slowly backed away as he followed after her like a predator stalking its prey. He was so focused on Kira that he didn't notice that Allison was moving for him until she went and slammed him across the back of his head with her crossbow.

"Isaac!" she cried to get him to stop.

But Isaac just turned to face her, with his face fully shifted. Kira moved to stand with Allison as she held her crossbow up. The two of them faced Isaac but then the twins each stood up with their own faces shifted as well. The three of them glared and were lowly growling at them. Allison and Kira then moved in for Coach's office, shut the door and went to move his desk to block it.

"Was that a good idea?" Kira asked her.

She shook her head. "Probably not."

With the door blocked, Isaac then moved to face the twins. Their blue eyes flared as they then moved to begin trying to tear him apart. They grabbed him and started to throw him against the lockers.

"They're not going to kill each other, are they?" Kira asked Allison as they nervously watched.

Then the twins went and threw Isaac into the door where his upper body broke through the glass.

Allison nodded. "I think they're going to try," she answered back just as nervously.

The twins then grabbed Isaac again and threw him for the floor where they moved to begin clawing at him and he tried clawing them back. It was clear what was going on. Just like back at the loft, the nogitsune was tapping into their repressed feelings to make them lash out at each other and create strife. And pain. All of this was only helping the nogitsune. Scott had texted Allison with the news that they had him, but it looked like that was actually doing little to stop him from still wreaking havoc. Whatever Scott was doing, she hoped he did it fast.

* * *

Peter said he would tell Scott what to do but it wouldn't come for free. Scott rolled his eyes at the predictable move and just dully asked Peter what he wanted. But Peter actually surprised him and said that he wanted nothing from Scott. It was Lydia who had what he wanted. He then pulled Lydia aside and told her what he wanted from her in exchange for helping them. Lydia wasn't happy about it but she agreed.

"There's no taking this back," Peter warned. "Better or worse, you better give me what I want."

"I'll do it, okay. I said that I would but only if you help. And only if Scott doesn't know about it."

That was fine with Peter. This was his own business and he didn't want anyone getting in his way and interfering which Scott seemed to love majoring in as of late. Lydia then took off to head back into the living room with Peter following in after him.

"So, do we have a plan?" Deaton asked as they walked back in.

Peter nodded. "Scott is going try and dig through pale and sickly Evil Stiles' mind to unearth pale and sickly Real Stiles. Then, he'll guide him back through the debts of his own subconscious but he's not going to do it alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Scott.

Peter moved to look over at Lydia. "Somebody needs to go in with you."

Lydia felt her lungs empty right there. "Me? Why?" she asked him.

"With you Scott stands a much better chance. Besides his father, you two were Stiles' anchors when he was still a wolf after all. You were able to keep him grounded and in control. You could help him regain his control from the inside."

Scott sensed her anxiety building and went over to take her by the hand and make her face him. "You can do this," he told her softly. "We have to do this."

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright Lydia," Peter said as he pointed to the spot next to Stiles. "Whenever you're ready, though I hope its now because it looks like Stiles here might be ready to move, and soon."

Peter pointed over at Stiles' arm and everyone saw that he was starting to move it a bit. It was clear that the venom was starting to wear off. Lydia shrugged off her tense nerves and quickly moved to sit next to him. Scott took his place right behind them.

"Okay, what exactly do I have to do?" he asked Peter. Peter moved and grabbed at Scott's clawed hands and directed them at the spots of the necks of Stiles and Lydia for where he had to claw into them. "And what do we do when we find him?"

"You're going to have to guide him out somehow. Try to give him back control of his mind and of his body."

Lydia rolled her eyes at Peter's very vague advice. "Could you elaborate on that somehow? It's not feeling very specific at the moment."

Peter shrugged. "Improvise."

Scott's eyes sharpened before he lifted his head up a bit. "What if this is another trick?"

Peter smirked. "When are you people going to start trusting me?"

Scott sighed and gave Peter a look. "I meant him," he said looking back at Stiles.

"Oh," shrugged Peter.

Stiles directed his eyes up in Scott's direction. He then narrowed his eyes mischievously for a moment before staring ahead.

Deaton noticed but he also noticed that Stiles' feet were starting to move. "Scott, we're running out of time."

Scott knew that Deaton was right. Trick or not, this was their last shot. They might not be able to have this chance again and they had to take it. Scott closed his eyes and braced himself before he opened them again to reveal his bright red eyes. He then went and drew his claws into Stiles' and Lydia's necks and felt himself start to slip away. The next thing he knew, he was lying in a hospital bed. He looked over and saw that Lydia was lying in one too. Or rather, she was tied into it. He looked over and realized that he was tied into his as well. The two of them then began to struggle to try and get themselves free. But they couldn't get free. Scott let a frustrated sigh out as he let his head slam down onto the pillow.

Lydia was just calmly watching him as he turned to look over at her. "Do I actually have to remind you that you're a werewolf?"

He narrowed his eyes. "We're in Stiles' head," he reminded her.

"And you're a supernatural creature with supernatural strength," she quickly countered. "Break free," she lowly growled out at him.

Scott sighed before he nodded. He then began to focus and put everything he could into ripping the binds off. He pulled and soon the one holding his arm broke off. He then moved to rip the rest of them off before he went over and freed Lydia.

"What now?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. This is my first time in someone else's head."

Scott then looked ahead and saw that there was only one way out of this room. The metal door at the front. "Just stay behind me," he said before he moved to place his hand on the doorknob and opened it.

Scott took a peek and saw that it was some kind of hallway in a hospital. He nodded over to Lydia as he moved off. Yet before Lydia could get to it, the door went and slammed shut.

"Scott!" she cried as she tried to open the door but it didn't budge. "Scott!"

But there was no sign of Scott at all. Lydia then turned around and saw that the room had changed. She was now in some kind of empty tiled room. She then saw a red balloon falling from the ceiling and until it hit the ground. Then there was another one. And another. There came a lot of balloons just falling until they filled her vision. When they stopped, Lydia saw that she was in the school hallway. She was wearing a dress also. One she remembered she wore to the Winter Formal. The dance that she went to with Stiles as her date and got attacked by Peter on the lacrosse field.

"Jackson!" she found herself crying out. "Are you here?"

As soon as she did, she shook herself out of her daze. She tried to keep focused as she moved through the hall. She then heard some scratching sound coming from one of the classrooms. She looked on inside and her eyes widened in fright. Inside, writing on the blackboard, was a large bandaged thing. It turned to look at her and flashed its silver colored fangs in a low hiss. That had to be the shape of the Nogitsune that Malia and Kira's mother had warned them about. Lydia let a whimper out before she went and took off further down the hall to put some distance between her and…it. She turned a corner to head deeper into the school when she saw that there were no more balloons on the ground.

She moved for the chemistry classroom to see if she could find something in there to make a weapon out of but stopped when she got there. The door to the chemistry room was gone. In its place was a metallic door that clashed with all the wooden doors in the school. It looked to be solid iron and seemed to weigh a great deal. What was even more alarming about the door was that there was a large metal beam barring the door closed and in front of it were thick chains. Lydia saw that there was a small window at the center and she slowly moved for it. As she got closer, she heard a heavy wind sounding from the other side. Before she finally got to the window she realized that it wasn't wind she was hearing, it was heavy breaths. From the air she felt escaping from it, her nose crinkled as it smelled heavily like blood. She looked inside to see that it was dark inside with little light. From what she can tell, there seemed to be a bunch of thorny vines and thick jagged roots enclosed on something. There were wrapped around a dark shape like they were chains and the pointed edges seemed to stab into the body as they held their prisoner firmly in place. The white floor underneath had a deep spot that seemed to have been made from the prisoner's blood. The more the prisoner moved, the more the thorns and jagged edges cut into them making the pool of blood beneath them grow wetter and bigger. Lydia gasped at the grim sight and then whacked at the glass to try and get their attention. Next thing Lydia saw was two small points of golden light…eyes shining through the darkness, looking right at her. A faint sounding growl also reached her ears.

Lydia heard dragging footsteps to the side and quickly moved from the door as she looked down the hall. She saw that it the Nogitsune lightly stepping out from around the corner and face her. It looked from the door to the girl and it bent its head. Even though Lydia couldn't see its face, it looked to be quite angry. Its fangs were clenched and it seemed to be shaking slightly. It then opened bared its fangs out and released a deep angry roar which had a frightened cry escape Lydia's lips and tears fall from her eyes. She then broke into a run to try and get away. The Nogitsune began to thrash itself forward as it began to pursue after her, giving the large heavy door a slight look before passing it and continuing its pursuit.

* * *

Chris was starting to open up his eyes as he was slowly coming to. The last thing he remembered was Derek rushing at him before everything went black. He tried to move and that's when his eyes shot completely open. He couldn't move. He was tied to a chair, bound by his wrists and ankles to it. He struggled to pull himself free when he heard a zipper opening. He looked over and saw that Derek was moving for him with a bottle of lighter fluid in his hand.

"Derek," he gasped just before Derek started to spray him with it. "Okay, listen. Listen to me!" he cried as Derek kept coating him with the flammable chemical. "Whatever's gotten into your head, this isn't the way to deal with it!"

"Oh I think this is the perfect way to deal with it," Derek calmly said as he kept soaking Chris from head to toe. "Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. You burn my family, I burn yours." The bottle was empty and so he threw it to the side before he revealed the lighter. "In fact, I'll burn the entire building down around you."

He then struck the lighter and the flame ignited and Chris quickly went and blew it out. At that, Derek moved to painfully squeeze at Chris' jaw for a few seconds before he threw his face to the side.

Chris regained himself and looked back up at Derek. "That was Kate, not me. You know I had nothing to do with that," he reminded him.

Derek smirked. "No, because you follow 'the code', right?" Derek then moved to kneel down so that he was directly facing Chris and showed him how his eyes had a dark look to them. One that Chris knew matched the look that Allison must've seen in Isaac's own eyes earlier. "You hunt those who hunt us…that's how it goes? That didn't seem to stop you from hunting me and my pack a couple of months ago." He then lit the lighter in front of him.

Chris eyed the lighter. "Derek, listen to me, it's the nogitsune. He's gotten into your head. You have to fight it! You know this isn't right!"

"Right?" Derek said raising his eyebrows at him. "Like it was right when you and your buddies went and smashed my car window the night we met again? Was someone in your head when you were trying to make me lash out and attack? That way you would get the excuse you needed to string me up and slice me in half. You practically had the strings ready and swords sharpened and with you that night."

The hunter's eyes narrowed. He then remembered Stiles words to him back at the loft. About him not needing an excuse. Chris quickly shook his head and looked down. "No, you're right. That was wrong of me to do, I admit it. But Derek, I'm not your enemy. Not anymore."

Derek let a chuckle loose. "Yeah, you are." He then moved the flame close to Chris and he tried to push himself as much as he could, away from it as Derek playfully swayed it around. "You and Allison, which is why I'm not going to light this yet," he laughed as he closed and put the lighter away. "We're going to wait until she gets home, then I'll light it…and we're going to let her watch."

Chris glared at the smug face that Derek was giving him and he felt his rage flaring up at him torturing him with his daughter. He couldn't move from the chair so he just yelled out as hard as he could.

* * *

The Sheriff shut the door of his office behind him as he just looked down in shock. "You just saved my job."

"Probably," Agent McCall mumbled.

During the hearing, when he stood before the board, McCall had surprised the man by saying that though the records show that Stilinski had a higher record of missed cases over solved ones there was no doubt that he cared about the town. He argued that the deputies here looked up to and respected Stilinski a great deal and that only a worthy sheriff could inspire that kind of loyalty. He also argued that when Stilinski had been suspended and when he was getting impeached, he didn't let that stop him from still trying as hard as he usually did trying to protect and serve Beacon Hills. Which, despite the insanity lately, he has been able to still do and it would be a mistake to throw away someone that valuable to the town. That seemed to make the board decide to stall the impeachment.

"Why?" Stilinski asked him as he walked over to his desk baffled. McCall had been the one to head this movement against him and he just went out of his way to stop it which would only hurt him in the end.

McCall let a hard breath loose before he folded his arms. "Two reasons. One: I don't think Sherlock Holmes could figure half the sort of crap happening in this town. I mean, this place is literally the Bermuda Triangle of homicides, disappearances and strange occurrences."

The Sheriff brought his bottom lip a bit before he nodded. "I can't argue that. What's number two?"

McCall stiffened up. "Kicking you out of a job is not why I came back here. It was an excuse to stay."

The Sheriff narrowed his eyes. "You stalled the impeachment, because of Scott."

He nodded. "That's right."

The Sheriff took a moment to look down at his badge. He then looked back up at him. "You did me a huge favor today." He then stood up and moved to stand in front of him. "Let me do you a small one. Just tell him. The next time you see him, just tell him everything. Trust me, your son is stronger than you believe he is."

* * *

Back at the hallway, Lydia kept running through the school halls but she began to feel as if she was going in circles. She just decided to keep moving as she was sure that thing was behind her when it stepped out of one of the classrooms in front of her. She froze as it let out a deep hissing breath before it moved to the open lockers and began slamming them one by one as it advanced for her. She started to back away but it sped up, slamming the locker doors closed harder and let out a deep moan. Lydia shut her eyes and turned to look away from it as she felt a deep shot of pain run through her from its yell.

On the outside, Lydia's nose was starting to bleed which startled the adults.

"Look at that. Do you see that?" Melissa asked the others. "She's bleeding."

She was about to go to her but Deaton moved and stopped her. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Don't you see what's happening?! She's bleeding!" she cried at him. She was starting to freak out. If this was happening to Lydia then what was happening to Scott right now? As if the thought triggered it, her eyes widened up even more as she saw that Scott's nose was starting to bleed out as well.

Peter moved in and quickly grabbed at Lydia's face. He didn't want anything to happen to her. Lydia was his best chance to finally find the answers that he'd been looking tirelessly for in the last few days. Ever since he found out that he had a child. Unfortunately, since he had little to go on, actually he had nothing to go on, his search hadn't been too successful. He needed Lydia to tell him the name of his child so that he could finally get some real answers.

"Lydia, listen to me," he said softly to her. "You're stronger than this. Okay, you need to concentrate. Lydia?" But Lydia wasn't reacting to him in the slightest. He then took a deep breath and roared at her. "Lydia!"

Back in the school hallway, Lydia was still in pain until she heard her name being shouted at her. She finally opened her eyes and ran off into what seemed to be the gym from the outside but when she stepped through, she found herself in the Beacon Hills Preserve. She looked down and saw that she wasn't in her formal dress anymore but her regular clothes. She also noticed that it was now daytime. She then heard a familiar sound echo through the trees. A wolf's growl. She began to follow the sound and Lydia came upon a clearing and her eyes widened. It was Stiles. He was running off into the clearing but was hit by a shape that pounced from the brush. Stiles and his attacker rolled in the dirt for a moment and Lydia thought he was in trouble until her eyes widened even more when she saw that it was Scott who was attacking him. They finally stopped as Scott was now kneeling over Stiles with his claws at his neck. Scott's eyes flared up but they weren't his Alpha red eyes, they were his old beta gold and Stiles was staring back with his own gold eyes shining through. Scott had Stiles pinned down, however, the both of them were smiling at each other.

"Got you," Scott said to him as he moved to stand back up.

"Yeah, finally," Stiles said to him as he held his hand up for Scott to help him to his feet. "I was beginning to think you just gave up and went home," he said teasingly as he went to begin wiping off a surprisingly heavy amount of dirt stuck to his clothes.

Scott went and narrowed his eyes at him though he kept the smile on his face. "You are only ahead of me by a minute."

Stiles looked at his watch. "A minute and six seconds actually. But don't worry, you'll catch up one of these days," Stiles then patted his shoulder, playing at being sympathetic but it just made Scott give him a look.

Lydia let out a sigh of relief. It looked like Scott had found Stiles after all. She went to go to them but found herself hitting something. She put her hand out and though it looked like she was touching nothing but air, she felt as if she was touching a wall. An invisible wall. "Scott! Stiles!" she tried yelling to them.

But the two of them seemed to not see or hear her. They were completely oblivious to her.

"Guess what," Scott said to him. "I'm going to ask my mother tonight, after she gets back from her shift."

Stiles narrowed his eyes a bit. "Don't you think that's kind of pushing it. I mean, you barely got her to sign off on you getting that bike. But this, you think she'll really bend again?"

"She'll say yes," Scott answered confidently. "Things have been good this summer, I mean my report card is in and I got A's in my summer classes."

"You're welcome," Stiles said with a small bow.

Scott smiled. "I want to do it. I want to get a tattoo. I've always wanted one."

Stiles rolled his eyes but smiled regardless. "Okay then, go for it. But, if she says yes, then you better make sure it's a good one. No friend of mine is getting a lame tattoo."

Lydia narrowed her eyes. What had they been talking about? Scott already got his tattoo a few months ago. She then took another moment to realize that this wasn't really Scott and Stiles she was seeing. It was one of Stiles' memories.

"It won't be," Scott said as he started to turn to head back but stopped. "Wanna race back?"

"Wanna lose?" Stiles said back.

They both smirked at each other before they went and darted off into the trees.

She couldn't help the small smile. It was a nice memory. One that showed that Stiles both loved his friend and loved being a werewolf alongside him. No wonder he wanted to go back. At that thought, Lydia found the invisible wall in front of her suddenly gone and she nearly fell completely forward. She looked up to see that she was facing a door and she could see white light leaking from the sides. She moved her hand to the knob and pushed it open and she squinted her eyes as she moved inside.

* * *

Scott was in a closet, with his arms wrapped around a slim figure, as he was kissing her. He felt warm hands move from his side to his neck to his cheek. He then broke away to get some air. His eyes widened as he heard a sound, like a distant echo that seemed to make his shiver a bit.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Shh," Allison said as she held her finger to his lips. "You have to be quiet." Allison then moved to lightly kiss at his neck.

Scott sighed but his eyes still looked off. "I thought I heard something," he lightly gasped. It kind of sounded like a distant yell or a roar.

Allison moved off to look at him as she gave him a small smile and ran her fingers lovingly across his bottom lips. "It's okay, you're with me," she whispered to him. "Everything's fine. We just have to be quiet. _Really quiet_ ," she said suggestively.

Allison was moving in for him and Scott was about to lean in himself but his hands went and grabbed at her arm and pushed. Scott then found himself blinking and he shook his head to clear himself. "Allison, we're not together."

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked, sounding confused.

Scott shook his head. "We're not together anymore," he reminded her. Scott leaned further back. "This is wrong." His eyes sharpened. "This is a trick," he said a bit angrily. "It's a trick." He then looked up as he heard Lydia's name being roared off in the distance. He then felt a slight pain in his head and swiped at his nose to see that he was bleeding.

Allison suddenly glared. "No!" she shouted before she went and gave Scott a hard push.

Scott found himself falling backwards out of closet door but he didn't fall into Allison's bedroom. He was finding himself falling down a flight of stairs. He kept falling down them until he landed on a hard stone floor, face first. He let out a small grunt as he pushed himself up until he was on his knees. He blinked a bit before he looked around and saw that he was in a lit basement, one he recognized. It was the Argent's basement, from their old house. He looked up and gasped. In front of him was Stiles. He was standing against the wall, his hands raised and shackled to the wall binding him there. What was so alarming was that he had a knife stuck in his gut and there was blood dripping from the wound.

"Stiles!" he cried as he jumped to his feet and moved to run for him but found that he couldn't get closer. He seemed to have hit some kind of invisible wall. "Stiles, it's me!" He furiously banged his fist on hardened air but it didn't to do anything.

Scott looked around for something to help him. He couldn't find anything and looked back at Stiles before Scott narrowed his eyes. There was something off. Stiles was wearing his lacrosse jersey, and his hair was short, like he had kept it before he chose to grow it out in the summer. He wondered why he looked like this when Stiles began to stir where he was hanging. He raised his head up and Scott quickly moved to be directly in his field of vision. He banged on the wall and waved his arms up but Stiles just looked ahead bleary eyed, as if he didn't see him at all.

Suddenly Scott heard a voice echo into the room. " _One of your friends is dead._ " That was Argent's voice. It was coming to him like a distant echo, as if he was speaking from some distance away and Scott was overhearing it. Scott saw that Stiles was blinking a bit before he directed his vision up to where the voices were coming from as he seemed to be hearing it too. Sounded like it came from upstairs.

Then he heard Allison's voice. " _Because of Derek. How do you think Jackson became that thing in the first place? Kate, Mom, Jackson._ " Scott blinked himself. Allison sounded cold and angry.

" _What about Scott?_ " her father asked. " _His friend is missing and he's probably trying to find him right now. Do you honestly think he's not going to find out about this?_ "

He knew what this was. It was a memory. Stiles' memory…of the night that he had been taken by the Argents after the final lacrosse game. He remembered when he and Stiles argued about trusting Allison many times, especially the time outside Malia's den. He had heard what Stiles went through, but he'd never seen it.

" _Well Stiles brought this on himself when he decided to join Derek,"_ said Allison _. "Have you forgotten that he attacked mom with Derek? Or how about all those people he hurt, our people. He started on that before he joined Derek and his pack. And now Gerard tells me that they're all dead. Ripped apart by him. How long did you think it would be until he came after you, me or Gerard?_ "

" _Is that what you're going to tell Scott when he finds out about what happened to him?_ " her father's voice asked sternly.

He heard Allison take a deep breath. " _He'll understand_ ," she answered back resolutely.

Scott then looked down when Stiles let a small cough out. His body started to slag, and seemed to fighting back the urge to cry. Scott straightened up and his jaw stiffened. Staring at his friend now, seeing this memory, he understood. Why Stiles was so bitter against the Argents and why he was so angry whenever Scott spoke in their, especially Allison's, defense. Scott may not like how Stiles felt, and still believed he was wrong about not trusting Allison, but he understood. At that thought, the wall disappeared and Scott nearly fell forward. He looked up, ready to run to Stiles, but saw that he was gone and in his place was a door. Light was shining through the cracks. He went forward and put his hand on the doorknob and then turned it. Squinting his eyes through the light, he stepped inside.

* * *

Allison and Kira left through the other door from Coach's office and moved to double back and regroup at the entrance to the locker room. Allison had her crossbow out and loaded while Kira had a firm grip on her sword. They looked through the windows of the locker room doors to see that Isaac and the Twins were still going at it.

"Remember," Allison panted out. "Try not to kill them."

Kira looked over at her. "Actually, I was just going to try and stay alive."

She nodded. "That works too."

They braced themselves before they went and open the doors and charged on in. Allison quickly fired one of her arrows for Isaac's arm while Kira confronted Ethan. Isaac let a low growl loose as he went and yanked the arrow out before he started to advance on Allison. She quickly went and sent a kick at his chest to keep him back. It made him back away two steps before he advanced on her again, more heatedly. Allison then moved to run. Kira swiped her sword at Ethan's chest and cut into him, making him drop to one knee. But then Aiden jumped out from around the corner and surprised her. She then moved to run off for the lockers with Aiden stomping after her. The girls moved around to try and confuse them and Aiden ended up running into Allison.

"Allison!" Kira called out before throwing her sword to her.

Allison moved to catch the sword at the same time that she dropped her crossbow and kicked it off so it slid over to Kira. Allison swiped the air in front of Aiden but it didn't deter him. He just kept walking for her and was soon joined by Isaac. Kira started to back away when Ethan was now back on his feet and was baring his teeth at her. The girls ended up back to back as they faced the three wolves.

* * *

Derek was off to the side, pacing, as he tried to wait for Allison to return home.

"Why shouldn't I kill you?" he spat out. "How many of my kind have you killed? How many did you bully and force to attack so that you claim it was justified when you shot or cut them in half? You pretend that you're better but you're no different from your psychotic sister or your demented father. No," he panted out as he shook his finger in his direction and pointed furiously at him. "You're worse. You try to pass yourself off as an honorable man, but where was your honor when you looked the other way when my family burned? Eleven _people_ murdered and you did and said nothing, for eight years! Because we're not even really people to you, are we? The only reason you suddenly cared was because Allison was in the line of fire for it, not because you knew what your sister did was wrong under your empty code. Admit it Chris, you were happy that my mother, my cousins, their families and my little sister before we found out she was alive died in that fire. You may fool Scott but you don't fool me. You're not my ally. You're a hunter, a killer."

Chris had just sat there and taken the verbal barrage with a steely composition. He won't deny that Derek's words got to him. No doubt that they were being influenced by the Nogitsune but it was obviously drawing some reference from its choice of host. He didn't know if it was really Derek talking, or if it was Nogitsune venting out what Stiles was feeling. In spite of what the truth of the matter was, it was clear that the Nogitsune was trying to instill strife amongst all of them. Chris knew that strife was strongest when truth was used to motivate it over lies. Some of the things Derek said had some seeds of truth in it, and no doubt it was growing to be a strong degree of strife to feed the Nogitsune.

When Derek was done he turned away to keep a lookout on the street for Allison and Chris just let a small sigh loose. "You're right. About a few things, but namely about the fact that I am a hunter," he mumbled. "Trained before I could even speak and trained others. You know what the first lesson we teach is? We take our children and we bind them in a chair, just like this and we wait for them to get out. Most of them, it takes hours. Others, seconds."

With that, Chris went and pushed himself back so that the wooden chair shattered apart as it crashed to the floor and loosened his bindings. Derek immediately shifted and roared while Chris quickly moved to pull out a gun that he had hidden underneath his desk in a hidden compartment. Derek jumped over the desk as Chris quickly pushed himself to his feet. Derek had his claws at Chris' head as Chris had the gun barrel underneath Derek's chin.

"I don't want to kill you Derek. Please, don't make me kill you," he said to him as he looked into Derek's blue eyes.

They were glowing hard at him. "I'm starting to get my family back. I won't let your family take them from me again!" he spat at him.

* * *

Scott and Lydia found themselves in a large white space. Scott instantly recognized it. This is where he, Stiles and Allison had been when they had sacrificed themselves to the Nemeton to find their parents. Scott ran off to where he spotted Lydia. She was looking off in the distance and looked away at him when she heard him. She didn't say anything, but just turned to look back in the distance. Scott went to look too and his jaw dropped in shock. At the end, sitting on the Nemeton, were Stiles and the Nogitsune. They looked like they were playing some kind of game. At first, they thought that it was chess but Lydia could make out that the pieces weren't chess pieces, but white and black pieces of the game Go. She told Scott this and he remembered that the werewolf that helped Kira's mother stop the Nogitsune the first time had used that game as an anchor.

Both Scott and Lydia began walking off for them. Walking became running. They ran as hard as they could but they just stopped when they saw that they weren't getting any closer.

"Stiles!" Scott yelled out.

"Stiles!" Lydia shouted.

But Stiles didn't so much as blink. He was still staring down at the board, seemingly unaware that they were there. Even when Lydia started jumping up and waving her arms to try and catch his attention. He just kept his focus on the game and he moved a piece before the Nogitsune went and moved one himself. Scott and Lydia then tried again and ran. They didn't stop running until they were completely out of breath. They looked to see that they were still no closer to Stiles than they were before.

"This isn't working," Scott said as he was bent at the knees.

Lydia shook her head before she remembered some things that Stiles had told her about werewolves. Remembered how the two of them were in the memory she saw. "Stiles is part of the pack."

"What?" Scott asked facing her. "What do you mean?"

"He's human now, but, he's still part of the pack, right?"

Scott looked up to see his friend. "Yeah. Of course he is," he said as if it was obvious.

Lydia then started to smile. "So how do wolves signal their location to the rest of the pack?"

Scott felt a distant memory come to him. One of Stiles teaching him all about it on the day of their very first full moon. He then shifted and honed his sight in on him. "They howl," he answered before he let a strong howl out that echoed in this vast space.

Stiles was getting ready to make another move when the board started to shake a bit. His eyes narrowed a bit before he started to hear something. It sounded like a distant…howl. A wolf's howl. One that he recognized.

"Scott?" he mumbled.

Stiles looked over to the side and he spotted Scott and Lydia a small distance away. Stiles' mind then went a mile a minute. Memories of what had been happening and who it was that was kneeling right across from him. He turned to glare at the Nogitsune who was angrily baring down at him. Stiles wasn't scared of him. He just glared back at it and then went and slammed the board away. The Nogitsune roared angrily at the pieces being destroyed.

* * *

At that moment, Ethan, Aiden and Isaac collapsed before they could pounce for Allison and Kira. The two girls panted out in relief as they could only guess that Scott and the others must've done something.

At the same time, Derek was glaring at Chris but suddenly just fell back and landed on the floor, unconscious. Chris just stared at the fallen werewolf, panting in relief, before he went and tossed the gun he was holding off onto the desk.

* * *

Scott and Lydia opened their eyes and took deep breaths as they found themselves back in Scott's house. Scott quickly released their necks and looked over at Stiles to find that he wasn't moving.

"Did it work?" he quickly asked Deaton and Peter. "Did it work?!"

Lydia quickly stood up and saw that Stiles wasn't moving a muscle. He was just sitting there with his head bowed down. "What happened? Why didn't it work?"

Peter went to grab her. "Because it's not science Lydia, it's supernatural." He then moved her off to the corner of the room and dropped his voice down to a whisper. "Now, I did my part, now give me the name," he demanded.

Scott's ears perked up as he turned to look at them. "What name?" he asked. Peter and Lydia looked over at him and Peter went to pull her to the kitchen, further away from them. "What are you talking about?" he asked after them.

"Lydia," Peter growled lowly at her. "A deal is a deal, even with me. Give me my child's name."

Lydia cringed as she looked to Scott, who was staring wide-eyed and jaw slightly open at them. She slowly turned to face Peter and decided to just bite the bullet and get it over with. She moved over to Peter's ear and whispered it as low as she could. "Malia."

Her name seemed to echo in Stiles' ears. At the sound of it, his eyes shot open and he started to jerk around where he sat. His sudden movements made everyone jump in surprise as they watched Stiles move to rip the tape off his mouth. Stiles' head and lips were starting to shake, as if he was choking. He moved his hands to his mouth and began to pull what seemed like gauze from it. He just kept pulling more and more until his legs gave out and he was kneeling on the floor. The gauze gathered on the floor and Stiles bent his head and start gagging and coughing out more. The sight was making everyone cringe as more gauze just kept falling out of Stiles' mouth. Stiles kept gagging out more and more until he finally seemed to stop and reach the end. There was now a giant pile of it on the floor, and it was moving. Stiles kept coughing a bit but he was starting to back away when what looked like a gauzed hand started to emerge from the pile. The hand turned into a full arm and soon a gauzed covered head began emerging with it. A figure began to pull itself out from the floor as if it were buried underneath it. The sight was horrifying to everyone as they moved to keep themselves back. When it was fully free, they saw the familiar form of the Nogitsune standing before them. It seemed to be shaking in its place, before it started to stumble for the group.

Lydia gave a shriek as she ran back while Scott and Peter ran forward to grab it. Everyone else ran to the edges of the room to try and put some distance between them and the thing they saw climb up from the floor. The two wolves pushed on the Nogitsune and tried to force it back onto the couch but it was struggling hard against them.

"Hold him," Peter barked out.

"I'm trying," Scott said as he tried to push against the Nogitsune's arm. It was moving around Scott, trying to pull at the gauze on its face. It yanked at it until it revealed a mouth that took a breath. "Wait, wait," Scott pushing on Peter instead. Something wasn't right.

Deaton and Melissa took a step forward as Scott went and began to pull on the bandages on its face. He eventually revealed that it was Stiles' face. He was staring at them all with a frightened and confused look on his face.

"Scott?" he coughed out.

Scott smiled at him as he nodded. Melissa let out a relieved sigh and even Peter seemed to calm down a bit.

But Deaton wasn't smiling. If this was Stiles, then who was the other one? He then noticed that he was missing, along with someone else. "Scott?" he called out to the boy.

They then all looked back to see that the front door was wide open. The other Stiles, along with Lydia were both gone.

Scott's breathing started to quicken. He realized that they've just been tricked, again. "Where are they? Where are they?!" He didn't wait for an answer. He just ran out the door. "Lydia? Lydia?! Lydia!"

His cries were heard by Stiles as he fell back into the couch with a pained look on his face. What had just happened?


	20. Insatiable

Chapter 20: Insatiable

Deaton was holding Ethan underneath a showerhead to cool him down as he tried to keep his jaw open. Allison, Kira, Aiden and Isaac were off to the side and watched with pained fascination.

"Hold still," he said trying to force him to keep his mouth open. "Don't fight it, hold still," he said as he stuck his hand into his mouth. Ethan painfully grunted and his eyes burned bright blue but Deaton didn't stop. "Almost there, just hold still." He dug in deeper until he got ahold of it. He then pulled his hand out and revealed a fly. Ethan began to cough as Deaton went and threw the fly down into the drain. He then turned to the other two. Aiden, he had already gotten. "Isaac, you're next."

But Isaac shook his head and held his hands out to him. "Wait, alright."

But Deaton just grabbed him and held him under the showerhead like he had for the twins. He then forced his mouth open and shoved his hand inside. "Don't fight it. Hold still," he told him sternly as he had the other two. Deaton reached in and pushed his hand as far as he could until he got ahold of it. "Got it," he said ripping his hand out leaving Isaac to cough and gag in relief.

Allison watched the fly fall into the drain with horrified fascination before she took Isaac aside and checked him over. "Are they okay now?" she asked Deaton.

"I hope so," he mumbled to her. "The part that's so worrisome is all of this was most likely just a distraction for what was happening to Stiles."

Kira shook her head. "There's really two of them now? How is that even possible?" She couldn't believe it, even with all the new things she had thrust on her in the last few weeks.

"And how did the other one just take Lydia?" Allison asked him.

Deaton shrugged. "We turned around and they were gone. So was her car?"

"So no one notices him just kidnapping her right out of the house?" Aiden asked a little angrily.

Deaton gave him a look. "Most of us were concentrated on the bizarre sight of the creature materializing from out of the floor." For once, even Deaton found himself a little thrown by what was happening. His tone made Aiden look away.

"Hold on," Kira stepped in. "How are you so sure which Stiles is which?"

"That's what they're trying to figure out now."

* * *

Stiles was just laying down on the bed as he let Melissa check on him. To be honest, he didn't feel that different from before he had been possessed at Eichen House. He didn't feel the tug and pressure from the nogitsune as before, but he still felt that there was something not right with him. He didn't seem to be his former werewolf self. He seemed human as far as they could tell, or as human as one could be when they materialized from out of the floor. Melissa was shining a light into his eyes though she seemed to try to keep as much distance from him as possible as she analyzed him. She turned the light on and stared at his arm but didn't seem to want to directly touch him. Stiles could see that she looked a little freaked out. He didn't blame her, because he was just as freaked out as she was. He just sighed and lifted his hand for her and waited patiently as she moved to check his pulse when she was ready to.

She lightly touched his wrist and tested him before letting him go. "Well…medically you seem okay. You're definitely a real person," she said before laughing nervously.

Stiles nodded. "Okay, so I'm real, but…am I really me?" he asked her.

Melissa just stared at him. She wanted to believe that. But, she couldn't forget that a few hours ago, this very same face had been smirking at her and had nastily mocked both her and Scott. Deep down, she knew that it wasn't really Stiles but…that didn't mean that it was something she was bound to forget so soon.

Scott walked in and Stiles quickly moved to sit up. "Is she here?" he asked him.

Scott sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

Then Stiles sighed and nodded. "Okay…let's do this." He then saw Scott and his mom give each other hesitant looks. They both didn't like this and had argued when Stiles had asked Scott for it and looked like they were going to argue with him over it again. But Stiles shook his head. "Guys, we have to do this. It's the only way to be sure."

He moved to get out of the bed but he started to wobble as he got to his feet and Scott quickly moved to catch him before he could fall. It seemed that Stiles wasn't used to walking again yet so Scott held him as he and his mother guided him out for the living room. They got there and saw Noshiko waiting there patiently for them.

"Do you recognize me?" she asked Stiles.

Stiles nodded. He recognized her alright. When Stiles had knocked the Nogitsune's game pieces out of the way, just before everything went black and he ended up in Scott's living room floor, it angrily grabbed at his head and Stiles had been hit with images and memories of the times that his body had been taken. Where the Nogitsune went, who it talked to and what it did. Kira's mother was a firm memory left in his mind.

Stiles separated from Scott and Melissa and slowly made his way over to her. But, there was a loud bang as the front door was open and shut as Kira ran inside.

"Stop!" she cried at him.

But Stiles didn't stop. "It's okay," he said to her. "I'm the one that asked her to come."

"You're the one that's going to get stabbed with swords," she cried out to him horrified before she turned to her mother. "Mom, don't do this to him."

"It's already done," she said sternly, not taking her eyes off of Stiles.

Stiles felt a slight chill to the side and turned to see that an Oni was there, staring him down. Everyone gasped just as another one appeared in front of Stiles. Before anyone could react, it grabbed onto him as the other moved to block Scott from moving for them. Stiles stared right into the glowing eyes of the Oni as its grip on him tightened and he felt his insides freeze up. After a few seconds, it let go and Stiles collapsed to the floor. The Oni then disappeared.

Kira quickly ran for Stiles just as Scott did. Kira's mother yelled to look behind his ear as they bent down over him. Kira went and looked and they found the kanji for 'self' there like the ones that appeared on their ears.

Scott sighed in relief. "It worked."

Stiles was still shivering but he fought through it as he tried to push himself up. "Am I actually me?"

"More you than Nogitsune," Noshiko told him.

That wasn't a clear 'yes' answer, but for now, he'd take it. He nodded before he went and glared out. The Nogitsune was out there, looking like him, and he had Lydia. "Can the Oni find him?"

"Tomorrow night. It's too close to dawn now."

"Can they kill him?" he asked hopefully.

"That depends on how strong he is. Before, when he had you, his power had reached surprising heights. Hopefully, this separation has weakened and crippled that power. Enough for the Oni to destroy him."

"Why would he take Lydia?" Scott asked her.

"He would only take her for an advantage."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "You mean for her power."

She nodded. "The power of a banshee."

* * *

Lydia took a deep breath and looked up to see that she was in some kind of tunnel. She tried to remember what had happened but it was all a blur. The last clear thing she could remember was being in Scott's house, watching Stiles hack out a mountain of gauze bandages onto the floor and watching something crawl out from them. She had been watching it intensely before she remembered feeling a tug on her shoulder and looking over to see Stiles pulling her away. They left the house and after that…nothing. Now, she was sitting here in this dark and dank tunnel, with countless voices yelling and screaming around in her head. Lydia got to her feet and tried to find some way to drown them all out. But, it seemed like their shouting only got louder.

"Can you hear them?" Lydia gasped and she looked off to her left to see a shadowy figure slowly approaching her. A figure with a disturbingly familiar voice. "It's louder than usual isn't it? That's because a lot of bad things happened here." As he stepped closer, Lydia's eyes widened when she saw that it was Stiles, except…it wasn't really him. In her eyes, the image of Stiles flickered for a moment, replaced by the bandaged monstrosity of the Nogitsune, before it flickered back to Stiles as he kept calmly pacing towards her. Lydia then started to try and get away. The Nogitsune kept his calm pace for her. "What are the voices telling you? Are they saying that Stiles is dying? He is you know," he teased out joyfully. "He's dying."

Lydia quickened her pace as she tried harder to get away. "Then what do you need me for?!" she shouted out to him as she kept moving. "You think I can tell you something?!" But she stopped when she reached a sealed gate that she couldn't open.

The sounds of her trying to get it open echoed through the tunnels and were soon followed by the Nogitsune's amused dark chuckling. "Oh, I know you can."

Lydia tried harder to push the gate open. "I'm not telling you anything!"

"You won't have to." Lydia gasped as the sound was practically in her ear. She turned to stare right at the Nogitsune wearing Stiles' face. "You'll be screaming."

And scream is exactly what she did.

* * *

After what happened at Scott's house, Kira was taken back home by her mother. This was the first time that she'd back here since her parents told her about her mother's past with the nogitsune. But she couldn't stay with Scott tonight, not when they were dealing with so much right now.

"How are they going to find him?" Kira asked her as soon as they walked through the front door. She watched as her mother went to one of their cabinets. "And what are we supposed to do until then? Sit around and wait."

Noshiko pulled out a board and looked back at Kira. "Sit," she said looking down at the table before holding the board up. "And learn."

Kira looked at the board and saw that it was the game of Go. She went and sat down impatiently. "You want me to teach me how to play a board game? Now?" she huffed out.

Her mother just kept looking at her calmly. "Scott says that he saw Stiles and the Nogitsune playing the game of Go. That's a very important detail. Perhaps even crucial. The game starts with an empty board. Black is always placed first." She went and brought out one of the bowls filled with the black pieces. "Then white," she said opening the other one with the white. "Place stones to create territories. You capture your opponent's stones by completely surrounding them."

But Kira shook her head and stood up. She had had it. "This is life and death mom! It isn't a game!"

Noshiko stood up and faced her daughter, still as calm as before. "It is to him. Since the moment he chose Stiles to possess, he's been playing a long and treacherous game. Laying out his territory and taking away opposing pieces. From the looks of things, he appears to be winning. Kira, if you really want to help your friends, help them survive…learn to play."

Kira let a small breath loose. She didn't want to admit it but, what her mother just said, sort of made some kind of sense. And, to be honest, she didn't know how else to help them. She wanted to help them, help Scott and especially Stiles. It was her fault that this even happened to him if what Scott said about what he heard from the Nogitsune was true. Maybe this was the only way, so she just sucked up her frustration and sat back down.

* * *

The Sheriff was sitting in his office, going over everything that had happened recently. First, he was still Sheriff due to the intervention of Agent McCall, who had been the one to try and get him fired from his position in the first place. Then, there was the fact that apparently Kira's mother was conjuring night demons to try and hunt down his son whenever the sun sets. And finally, there was the fact that he had gone face to face with his son just the other day but it wasn't really his son before he nearly put a bullet in Argent when he wanted to put a bullet in Stiles. He wanted to be out there, looking for his son and getting him out of whatever hell he is going through but he didn't know the first thing to do about that. He feared that he would lose Stiles, just like he had lost Claudia, and just like then, he couldn't do anything about it. There was then a knock on the door and Parrish moved to open the door and cut in on his thoughts.

"Go home Sheriff," he said to him. "If anything comes up about Stiles you know I'll call you in a second."

But he didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere."

Parrish shrugged. "Well, neither am I since my shift doesn't end until dawn," he said in an upbeat manner. "Need a coffee?"

The Sheriff shook his head but finally moved to face his deputy. "No. You're a good guy Parrish. That's what they all said about you in your previous station." Which he agreed on. With everything that had been going on with his son in the last few weeks, he'd found it hard to concentrate on his job. It felt good having a guy like Parrish who was dependable around, and that it seemed that he could be trusted. "Though," he said after that thought crossed his mind. "No one could tell me exactly why you left."

Parrish shrugged his shoulders again as his gaze dropped a bit. "Maybe I needed a change? I, don't really know. I guess…I kind of felt drawn here. And I knew there were openings."

"You know why there were openings?" he asked the young man. Between both Matt Daehler and Jennifer Blake Beacon Hills had seen a marked drop in the amount of deputy policeman within the last year.

But Parrish shook his head. "The statistics don't bother me."

"Well they worry me." Actually, they did more than worry him. They terrified him. As Sheriff, it was his job to watch over and look out for his deputies. However, he couldn't really do that with psychotic werewolves, killer bipedal lizards and homicidal mystical ritualists about. His son and his best friend had made it their personal mission to handle it, which only made him feel worse about how much they were taking on, when they shouldn't.

"Then maybe you need to get some sleep. Go home Sheriff," Parrish advised before he went off.

He just let out a deep sigh. Maybe Parrish was right. Besides, he wasn't doing any good just sitting in his office, moping and waiting for news. He moved to get his jacket and felt around the pockets but saw that it was empty. "Oh, if I could just find my keys," he mumbled to himself.

"In your coffee cup." The Sheriff turned around and saw Stiles standing there at the door with Scott. "You always drop them in your empty cup," his son said to him.

He narrowed his eyes. He wanted to believe that his son was standing there, but after what happened at Derek's loft, he knew that he shouldn't jump to conclusions. He looked over at Scott who quickly nodded his head. To confirm that this really was his son. Without another second to spare, he went on and ran over to give his son a tight hug.

Stiles returned the hug eagerly. "Hey dad," he mumbled. "Miss me?"

The Sheriff let a chuckle loose as he tightened his hold. He knew now without a doubt, it was _really_ Stiles. Only he could say something during a moment like this to change the mood.

Scott went and walked off a bit to give them some space. He was happy that Stiles and his dad were back together but, he still felt a little awkward like he was intruding on them.

The Sheriff broke the hug and looked back at Scott. "Is it over?" he asked hopefully. If Stiles was back then he guessed that it meant the nogitsune was gone.

But Scott went and reached into his coffee cup to pull out the Sheriff's keys and shook his head. "Not yet."

Stiles scratched at the back of his head. "You may want to sit down dad. We have a lot to tell you."

Scott and Stiles quickly filled the Sheriff in on what had happened. Stiles started explaining about him running into Malia at Eichen House and how the Nogitsune held her hostage in order to force him to have control over him to save her. Scott then explained about the Nogitsune worming its way into all of their heads before he told them about diving into Stiles' head. It was a measure of how they were able to make sense out of everything that happened to the Sheriff that he didn't stop them during any of it. It was when they finished that the man seemed to let it all really hit him.

"Okay…so let's see if I got this straight. You and Lydia dived into Stiles' head which made him get spat out of his own body, and now there are two Stiles out there. One of them my son and the other the Nogitsune that looks like my son?" He had asked all of that very slowly.

Scott and Stiles turned to look over at each other. They gave each other a nod.

"Yeah, pretty much," Stiles muttered out.

His father's eyes widened a bit but he nodded just the same. "Okay…and, this other Stiles, he kidnapped Lydia?"

"Yeah," Scott nodded. "Took her car too."

The Sheriff nodded this time. "Okay," he said again before he cleared his throat. "Okay, I'll take care of this. Just, wait here, okay?"

"Okay," both Scott and Stiles said to him.

"Okay." He then left to speak with some of his deputies and shut the door behind him, leaving the boys alone in silence.

"Can't you track her scent Scott?" Stiles asked him after a moment of it.

But Scott shook his head. "I tried. Back at the house, it was like her scent was just…cut off. And I don't think the Nogitsune has one."

"Really? How?"

Scott shrugged. "Don't know. I mean, he didn't have one when he was possessing you."

Stiles ran a hand through his face as he went to stare at the floor. "Void," he mumbled.

"What?" asked Scott.

"I remember…it's what he calls himself. Void."

"That's what Argent said that Katashi called the type of kitsune it was. Doesn't void mean nothing?"

"Empty actually," Stiles said a little darkly. "And that's what he is…empty. No heart. No soul. Just…empty. Guess that includes having no scent either."

"Hey," Scott said taking him by the shoulder so that Stiles would look at him. "We'll find her. We just got you back. We're not going to lose anyone else, I promise."

The Sheriff came back to the room making both the boys look up immediately. "We put an APB out on Lydia's car. We have every unit on the road looking for her," he told them.

Scott sighed. "Is there anything else that we can do?" he asked. He hoped that there was something.

But the Sheriff shook his head. "At this hour, no, not really."

"He took her for a reason dad," Stiles coughed out. "If we could figure out the why then we can figure out the where."

The Sheriff checked to make sure that no one could hear them. The last thing they needed now was for any of this to get out. "Okay," he said dropping his voice. "What would a nogitsune need with a banshee? You were wrestling around with that thing, do you know anything about it that could tell us anything?"

Stiles shook his head. "No. We didn't exactly sit down and have drinks as he shared his plans with me." He then let a huff out. "But I do know that he doesn't take anyone unless without a reason, usually an awful one. He had Barrow take Kira to try and hurt her mother. He took Malia back at Eichen House to force me to let him take me again."

"So what do you think he wants to do with Lydia?" his father asked.

Stiles shook his head. "I'm not sure. Kira's mother said that he might want her for her power. She's good at finding bodies. Maybe he needs to find one?"

The Sheriff then turned to Scott. "What do you think Scott? I mean, you know more about this thing than the rest of us."

Scott widened his eyes. "I do?"

"Yeah, didn't you get the whole story from Noshiko?"

"Well, yeah but that all happened like 70 years ago during World War II. That was so long ago."

But Stiles blinked. "Wait, what did you say?"

Scott looked over at him. "Noshiko, she told me about the internment camp."

But Stiles cut him off. "No, before that." He looked over at his father. "You just said the 'whole story'?"

"Yeah," said Scott. "Why, what is it?"

Stiles remembered hearing those words spoken when he was in Eichen House. "There's a girl, at Eichen House. Her name's Meredith. I think she might be able to help."

"Help? How?" Scott asked him.

"She knew who I was," Stiles mumbled. "And…what I was."

Scott's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Are you sure?"

Stiles nodded. "I think so. When I met her, she wasn't looking at me, but she talking about me. Like she knew who I was…and what I was," he said remembering how Meredith referred to him as the 'wild poisoned one'. "She seemed to know about the rest of us too."

Scott blinked. "Even if you're right and this girl does know about us somehow, how can she help us find Lydia?"

"Because I think that she is like Lydia. I think Meredith might be a banshee." Stiles could see that Scott was thrown by that. "She had this look on her face. In her eyes. It's the same kind of look that I've seen on Lydia whenever she goes into one of her fugue states. She said that we should know the whole story and that she should tell us."

"Are you sure?" Scott asked. It didn't seem possible that Stiles could just run into a Banshee in a mental institution like this.

"Pretty sure. Like…maybe 85 percent sure."

"Stiles," his father huffed. "We can't just go to Eichen House and make a request to talk to a patient because you feel pretty sure."

"I know dad…but you're going to have to trust me on this."

He still felt like this was a long shot but the Sheriff felt that he didn't have a right to question these boys at this point and immediately asked Parrish to put in a request at Eichen House.

Parrish called the institution and hung up the phone a few minutes later before going to them in his office. "Meredith Walker," he confirmed.

"She still there?" asked the Sheriff.

"Yeah but they moved her to the closed unit."

"Why?" Stiles knew, first hand, that people don't just get moved to that place for the hell of it.

"They said behavioral issues."

Stiles thought that Meredith seemed like the quiet type. She was always off to the side and kept to herself. "What issues?" he asked the deputy.

He let a sigh loose. "She wouldn't stop screaming."

That made both Scott and Stiles share a look. Stiles' theory seemed to have some new weight now. But that look turned to despair. If Stiles was right about Meredith, there would only be one reason why she would be screaming.

* * *

Derek and Chris heard the news from Scott and Allison. Stiles was back, or rather they had their Stiles back. But there was still another Stiles out there that wasn't theirs. Neither really knew what to make of that but they knew that the other one had to be stopped as he had taken Lydia. Derek moved to leave the building when his full senses were back but Chris didn't let him leave just yet. He stopped the elevator before Derek could go.

Derek just kept his gaze to the floor and didn't look the hunter in the face. "You had a gun to my head. You could've pulled the trigger, but you didn't. Why? Why didn't you?" he asked as he went to face him.

Chris sighed. "Because I actually meant what I said before. You're not my enemy anymore Derek. And I'm not yours." He then let a tired sigh out. "Deep down, I think we both want that which is why you helped me back at the station and I tried to not hurt you here. Maybe, it's high time that we stop trying to treat each other like we still are. That's what made all of us fall in line with the Nogitsune's plan to begin with."

Derek brushed off the uncomfortable feelings he was having right now. Part of him thought that Chris had a point, but still, actually doing that was easier said than done especially with all of their history. But he knew that wasn't the pressing problem right now. "Well, we should be out there, looking for him, right now. Especially if he could do something like this."

But Chris shook his head. "I'm not sure that's actually going to be necessary."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

"Because if he could do something like this," Chris started.

And Derek realized now what he meant. "Then he's stronger than ever."

And the Nogitsune was already strong enough. They remembered how it went down when they confronted him in the loft. He brushed off each of their attacks like they were nothing. Handled even Scott and a bunch of armed Yakuza like it was child's play. To manipulate them like this, it showed that its power was greater than they imagined.

"And now he'll be coming for us," Chris pressed. He watched as Derek moved to put his back to the elevator. Chris let the doors go but before they could fully close, he put his hand to stop it again. "There's something else."

"What?" Derek mumbled.

"Back during…it," he settled in describing their tense confrontation. "Before you collapsed, you mentioned something about your family. You said that you were getting your family back, what were talking about?"

Derek just raised his eyes at him and silently stared. He remembered saying that. It was in the heat of his unbridled rage that he let that slip. Despite what had just happened, he wasn't ready to trust Chris enough to tell him about the fact that his sister was pregnant with the child of an emerging Beast. He just stayed silent. Chris seemed to understand that Derek wasn't going to say anything about it because he eventually let the door go and allowed the elevator to finally close.

When Chris faced a closed elevator, he took a deep breath. Clearly, Derek wasn't going to trust him enough to say anything, which meant that it was either important, personal or both. Given the fact that he had said that he mentioned it as a motivation for trying to kill him, he would respect Derek's need to not say. A good hunter would look into this lead with everything they had, but he wasn't hunting Derek's family.

* * *

The Sheriff quickly went off to Eichen House so that he could talk with Meredith though he suggested he go alone. He didn't want his son anywhere near this place again any time soon and bringing Scott would raise some questions. When he got there, he was greeted by an orderly named Brunski. When the man heard his name, he made some off-handed comment about how he had gotten to know his son quite well when he was there. Stilinski gave the man a look before he told him to just take him to the closed unit. Brunski rolled his eyes before he led the Sheriff off for Meredith's room.

"Sounds pretty quiet now," the Sheriff said as they reached the place.

"We had to send a guy down to sedate her," he explained as he got his keys out to open the door. "Trust me, this little nut job would not stop screaming." He smiled a bit in amusement as he went and opened the door. "Five milligrams of Haldol, would take her out like you wouldn't believe," he said before letting an amused chuckle out. Amusement that Stilinski didn't share. They got to her room when he stiffened. "What the hell?"

The Sheriff looked into the room to see that the orderly he had been talking about was on the floor, with the sedative needle stuck into his neck and the plunger was pushed down. The room was empty.

"Where'd she go?" he asked. "How could she get out of here?"

Brunski knelt down to the incapacitated orderly and found the answer. "She got his keys."

Neither of them noticed that Meredith was off to the side, quickly and silently opening the door and slipping out.

* * *

It was bright and sunny the following morning and the twins were running through the woods trying to see if they could find any trace of Lydia. Aiden suggested the woods as this was the place where the Nogitsune had ran to get away from Scott and where Stiles had ended up when he had sleepwalked and hallucinated. Aiden and Ethan hadn't really talked about what had happened to them yesterday. Not about what they said to each other or about what they almost did to one another. It was like an unspoken agreement between them that they not touch the subject.

"Anything?" Aiden asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Nothing. Not even a scent."

This looked to be a dead end. They were about to head on off but there was an echoing click that had Aiden push his brother down.

"Did you hear that?" Aiden asked him.

Ethan moved to scan the area. "Sounds like-"

"A round being chambered," Aiden finished for him.

It was a sound that, as werewolves, they were all too familiar with. And they knew what to do whenever they heard that sound. They didn't spare another moment and made a break for it. Where they stood a second ago became showered with bullets. They barely got off three feet before they felt the bullets pierce their skin.

Ethan fell and looked below his shoulder to see that he was bleeding but his blood was black. "Wolfsbane," he muttered out painfully. He then looked and saw that his brother wasn't moving at all. "Aiden," he called out to him but barely moved as their spot went under fire again.

The gunfire lasted about a few more seconds before it all just stopped with only a few more bullets grazing them. Ethan grit his teeth tightly as he pushed himself to his feet and pulled at his brother to try and get far away. He tried to move as far and fast as he could but he could feel everything around him getting blurry. The wolfsbane in the bullets was starting to affect them. It was barely a minute later when Ethan just fell to his knees and dropped Aiden. As Ethan coughed up some more blood, he faintly heard the sounds of another round being chambered. The shooter was about to let loose another barrage of gunfire. He braced himself for the strike when he felt a hand grab him. He panicked before he turned and saw that it was Derek.

Derek lifted Ethan to his feet before he quickly bent down and grabbed onto Aiden. "Run!" he yelled.

A second later, where they had stood began being pelted with bullets. They ran off for a deeper part of the woods, hoping to find some cover from the gunman.

* * *

With the apartment smelling like chemicals, Allison asked if she could stay over with Scott. He agreed as Stiles was staying with him too. Isaac had offered to share his bed with her in the guest room but she didn't think it was a good idea. Isaac quietly accepted that and surprisingly didn't push it further. Scott told Allison that she could have his bed as he would be in the living room with Stiles so that he could watch him. When morning rolled around, the Sheriff called to let them know that a car matching Lydia's license plate had just been towed and brought to the impound lot. Scott told Allison and Isaac to be careful as he was going to stay and watch over Stiles as he was still sleeping and didn't want to wake him as he felt that he could use the rest after everything that happened to him. None of them were going to school today also, not when Lydia and the Nogitsune were still out there.

Allison brought them to the lot and Isaac checked to see that no one was watching as he went and broke the lock off from the front gate. They found that there was only one car in there right now.

"That's Lydia's car," Allison said as they walked on over to it.

Isaac's nose crinkled. "The scent's strong with emotion."

"Fear?" she asked.

But he shook his head. "Anger."

Allison sighed. "Sounds like Lydia. See what else we can find." She looked over just as Isaac bent down to check the bottom of the car. Memories of the previous day came back to her, especially the night before then. "Uh, just out curiosity, do you remember the other night?"

"You mean the night before last night?" Isaac asked still looking underneath the car.

"That night…before you weren't you?" she asked uncomfortably.

Isaac went to stand up and face her. "Yeah. I remember."

They then opened the car and went on inside.

Allison cleared her throat. "That night, were you…you? Or where you, not you?"

He brought his head down a bit. "You mean, the night when we were us?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She then moved to look away from him a bit. "I…just want to know if, it was actually you, with me. Or, if that wasn't really you anymore…that it was somebody else with me?"

Isaac kept his gaze firmly on her. "Did you want it to be someone else?" he asked as he remembered what set him off that night. Scott's scent. All over her room, on her bed. "Or hoped it had been someone else?"

She quickly shook her head. "No. No, of course not," she said to him fast paced.

He let a small smile fall on him. "Good," he nodded as he looked away from her a bit. "Because, it was me. And I do remember it. I really remember," he finished softly.

The two of them just bowed their heads as a sort of embarrassed silence fell upon them. Allison turned her head because she didn't want to face him just yet when her eyes narrowed at the window. It seemed familiar to her. It took a moment before she realized that it seemed similar to how her was back when she and Scott were secretly seeing each other. Back when they would leave each other messages. She quickly breathed onto it and saw that there was writing in the condensation. It was a message from Lydia. It read: Don't find me.

* * *

Coach Finstock was angry as he heard the news over the phone as his class was coming in.

"Ten Thousand dollars?" he asked incredulously. "They pulled an arrow out of my stomach. What, did they fill it up with diamonds?" But he grew displeased hearing the hospital response to that. He gave up. "Alright, fine. Just…send me the bill. Fine!" he said before he finally hung up and angrily faced his class. "Alright, listen up kids! Today we're….you know what, today, we're going to discuss the corrupt institution of healthcare."

But he was cut off when Danny raised his hand. "Uh Coach, we have an unexpected guest."

He looked over and the Coach along with the rest of the class followed it to see Meredith Walker sitting off in the back corner.

* * *

His heart was pounding and his eyes were open wide in shock. Stiles was running through the streets as a scream sounded through the air. That was Lydia's scream. He moved up where the scream seemed to be coming from and found himself in front of a gate. Eichen House's front gate. He pulled the gate open and moved to step inside. Though once he opened it, the steps of the building were covered with bodies. Dead bodies with a terrified or shocked look permanently stuck to their faces. The ones that were face down had a long red deep swipe across their backs, like they were made by a sword. The screaming was still going so Stiles quickly moved his way through the bodies, unable to avoid fully stepping over all of them, before he got to the courtyard. In the center was Lydia, head pointing up into the air, screaming. Surrounding her were more bodies and Stiles' eyes widened at the sight of them. They were all people he knew. He saw Scott, Kira, his father, Derek, Isaac, Allison, the twins, Malia, Melissa, Danny, Argent, Deaton, Coach and many others from school, the station and the hospital. They were all lying on their backs, lifelessly staring up at the sky with dried blood decorating their corpses.

"Lydia!" Stiles shouted.

But Lydia kept screaming until a sword found its through her. The blade stuck out from her chest before it was pulled back through her back and Lydia fell to the floor, revealing her killer: Himself.

"About time she shut up, wasn't it?" his mirror image said as he stared at the bloodied blade in his hands before he stared up at Stiles with his dark eyes.

Stiles narrowed his eyes as he knew perfectly well who this was. "Why?"

Void shrugged. "It's all a part of the game. Pieces tend to be lost trying to win, you know that. But, it seems like you've lost." He then held his free hand up and Stiles saw an orb of purple electricity sparking in his hand. "Everything." He then tossed the ball of electricity right for him.

Stiles then took a deep breath as he moved to get up from the couch as he found himself in Scott's living room. He had tried getting up too fast and felt everything spinning and couldn't really keep his balance up. He barely got three steps in before he was beginning to topple over. Scott had heard his friend from the other room and came rushing on in and caught him before he could fall.

"Hey," Scott said as he tried to steady Stiles. "You okay?"

Stiles blinked. "I was sleeping?"

"Dude, you were practically knocked out." Scott knew that Stiles needed the rest.

Stiles rubbed furiously at his eyes before he wiped at his nose. "How long was I out?" he quickly asked him.

"Just a couple of hours. You should sit down."

Scott moved to try and get him back to the couch but Stiles quickly shook his head and kept himself where he stood.

"Where's my dad?" he asked Scott.

"He's at Eichen House, questioning everyone, looking for Meredith. I promised I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

Stiles took another deep breath. "Alright, but what about the others?"

"Allison, Isaac, the Twins, they're all looking for Lydia."

Stiles let his gaze wander and he just started shaking. "I just feel like we're waiting around for a ransom call."

"We'll find her," Scott told him.

"Yeah," he said in a low voice as he shook more heavily. Stiles' shaking then included him starting to rub his hands along his arms but that wasn't doing the trick. He went to the couch and pulled on the sweater that was laying on there.

Scott eyes narrowed a bit. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just, I can't seem to get warm," he said in a shaking tone of voice.

"Well, maybe you should sit down and take it easy." Scott moved to try and help Stiles back to the couch but he felt a sharp sting as the veins in his hand went black as he started to siphon off pain. A lot of it. He then pulled his hand free. "You're in pain."

But Stiles shrugged. "It's not that bad. It's more like a dull ache."

Scott looked Stiles over. "Where?"

"Sort of everywhere," Stiles said nonchalantly.

Scott moved to grab him again but felt the palm of his hand was practically ice. "Dude, you're freezing!" he gasped out. Stiles just sat down and shook in place as he tried to avoid looking at him. Scott then moved to sit on next to him. "Tell me the truth…how much does it really hurt?"

"I'm fine Scott," he said a little louder than necessary. But he then dropped his voice a bit. "Really. It's nothing I can't handle."

Scott looked at Stiles sitting there, at the spot the Nogitsune had sat the day before. He remembered the demented fox saying something about Stiles having a lot of pain inside him. Enough to feed him. Stiles said it was just a dull ache he was feeling. Scott touched him for a moment but what he felt in that moment was hardly an ache. Yet, from just looking at him, you could hardly tell he was hurting at all. Was Stiles putting effort into hiding it, or was he just so used to pain that it really was a dull ache to him?

But his thoughts were quickly interrupted by his phone vibrating. He took it out and saw who was calling. "It's Kira," he told Stiles before he picked up. "Hey, what's up?"

Kira was calling from the school, and was currently in Coach's Economics classroom. "It's Meredith," she told him. "She's here, in Coach's class and you need to get down here too. Like right now."

Meredith was being surrounded by the class as the Coach dropped down in front of her and was snapping his fingers to try and get her to lift her eyes off the desk which she had been staring at firmly since everyone first noticed her.

"Sweetheart," Coach mumbled to her as he kept snapping his fingers. "You want to tell me which insane asylum you escaped from?"

Danny went to kneel down next to him. "Uh Coach, insane asylum isn't proper terminology anymore," he told him.

Coach nodded before facing Meredith again. "Okay. Sweetheart, what nuthouse did you escape from?"

"Eichen House," she mumbled.

Everyone leaned and stepped back in both surprise and shock. Most, if not all the people in the room knew of the institution's reputation. The only one that didn't distance themselves from Meredith was Coach.

"Want to tell me what you're doing so far from there?" Coach calmly asked her.

Meredith kept staring at the desk but her eyes widened a bit. "Trying to help. I can hear them," she said pointing to her ears. "They scream."

Everyone began to get a little freaked out. Even though what she said didn't make much sense to them, something in her words seemed to send chills down all of their spines. Kira stayed off to the side and just watched Meredith with bated breath.

The only person that didn't seem too bothered by any of this was Coach. He just leaned in closer. "That's got to be terrifying," he muttered to the girl. "Why do they scream?"

"They scream when someone's about to die."

Coach's eyes actually widened at that. "Are they screaming right now?" he asked. Meredith nodded. "How many?"

Meredith finally looked away from the desk and straight at him. "All of them."

Kira let out a deep winded breath. This sounded a little too close for comfort, especially if what Stiles thought about Meredith was right.

Coach then told everyone to stay in the classroom while he went and escorted Meredith to his office. Kira quietly followed after them and waited out in the hall close by. She knew that Scott was already on the way and hoped that he and Stiles would be able to find some way of getting Meredith out of there. She knew that they couldn't be much longer now. Just then, the doors opened and Kira looked over, expecting to see them, but instead saw that it was three men, dressed in scrubs. They were orderlies, and they were heading right for Coach's office. No doubt to take Meredith away, and Kira couldn't let them, not yet.

She ran over to the office door as Coach was starting to come out. "Coach!" she quickly said to him. "You can't let them take her back. It's, hard to explain but if you let her go back then really, really bad things are going to happen. To Lydia, to Scott, to Stiles and maybe everyone else including you. So please, please don't let them take her," she pleaded to him.

Coach just widened his eyes at her. "Who are you?" he asked her.

She actually was taken aback. She had a class with him, she was surprised that he didn't know her by now. "I'm Kira. I'm new."

But Coach just looked over towards the orderlies that were heading for them. At the sight of them, particularly the one in the middle, he let out a heated sigh. "Oh hell," he muttered to himself.

The orderlies got to them the one at the middle smiled at the sight of him. "Finstock. Coach Bobby Finstock, this is a delightful surprise," he said in mock happiness. "Hmm, what is that saying? Those that can't do, teach."

Coach rolled his eyes at him. "Oh, that's funny Brunski."

But Brunski didn't seem to be done poking fun at him. "Now, is it Professor Finstock when you're off the field? I'm glad to see you made it pro at something Bobby," he said, still teasing him.

"It's Coach. Coach Finstock," he said in a small voice. "Professors teach college."

Brunski's face started to get a little harder now. "Oh. Well, you let me know when you make higher education. Now, Coach, where's Meredith?"

Coach just gave Brunski a hard look before he sighed in defeat. "She's fine," he mumbled. "She's sitting in my office." He then opened the door and everyone saw that Meredith was now gone.

"Find her," Brunski ordered the others who rushed off to do what he said.

* * *

Chris called Isaac to ask about her daughter but he told her that she took off to try and work on something but hadn't gone back to the apartment. Chris had an idea where his daughter went and moved off for their weapons lockup. Prior to them officially moving to Beacon Hills, Chris and his men had gone and set this place up with spare weapons and ammunition to fall back to if something were to happen to their stock at home. Since most of their weapons had been confiscated by the FBI, he had to come back here to re-arm themselves. Thankfully, it was off the books so Agent McCall hadn't found and raided it with his men when Chris had been arrested.

He entered the place and quickly found Allison on the work bench. She was busy taking her crossbow and adding a targeting scope to it. "I had a feeling I'd find you here," he said as he walked over to her.

She spared her father a look before she resumed working. After hitting the dead end with the car, Allison went there to try and make herself feel like she was doing something productive. "I needed to do something. I hate waiting. Feeling useless." At that last part, Allison was pressing on her tools a little harder than necessary and her work began to be getting sloppy.

Chris went and put his hand over hers to still it. "Leave it for now," he told her gently. His eyes drifted over to the floor, towards one of their safes. He bent down in front of it. "I have something else you can do. Something that we should've done a while ago." He then finished with the combination and opened the safe as he grabbed a case that was inside. He brought it to Allison and opened it to reveal bars of solid silver. "It's time for you to graduate."

Allison knew what this was. It was the ceremony that marked a hunter's completion of their training. Where the Argent would craft a silver bullet as a testament to their commitment to the code. Of course, they had a new code now. Her code. Meaning that this would be the first time that the ceremony was done under it and she smiled at how it was fitting that she'd be its first one.

* * *

Void was enjoying leading Lydia around in the tunnels. Her fear and apprehension were a good precursor to what he would unleash in the future.

"There's nowhere to hide Lydia," he said as he calmly pursued her as she kept moving through the dark. "And you could only run so far and so long."

Lydia just kept a stern look on her face and tried hard to not succumb to her fear. "They'll find me," she said as she saw some light ahead and headed for it. "They're going to find me." She came up and found another gate that wouldn't budge. She tried to push and pull to try and free herself but it stayed firm. Right now, she would kill to be able to be as strong as a werewolf right now.

Void watched her struggle for a moment before he sat down on the steps above her. "You think so?" he muttered down to her. "I myself was kind of wondering what they're doing right now. What useless lead they're chasing? I wonder if some of them have bigger problems to deal with right now." He then let a smirk crawl on his lips. "After all, I prowled around in Stiles' skull. I know how they work. If I had to hazard a guess, the pack is out spinning their wheels on some half-baked plan. Maybe some of them are trying to distract themselves with some meaningless gesture. Or have some personal unresolved crisis to work and sift through. Just passing the time, waiting for nightfall," he said smiling up at the ceiling as if he could see the sky above them.

Lydia let herself calm down a bit before she slowly turned to face the Nogitsune. "What do you want?" She didn't understand what the Nogitsune was doing. From what she'd heard and seen, this thing was already stronger than ever. And now that he was out with a body of his own, why was he still lurking around?

Void's eyes went and looked down at her. "More," he answered firmly. He then stood up and started to leer down at her.

"More what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes a bit looking braver than she felt.

"Oh Lydia, you're the genius so I'm sure you've read them. The trickster stories. They're all about food Lydia." He then started to step closer to her. "The coyote, raven, fox…they're all hungry. I'm the same, I just crave something a little different." He then held up his hand and let sparks flare up in his hand before they formed a dark purple ball of electricity that dimly lit up the passage.

Lydia squeaked at the sight of it. "What?" she almost cried out.

"What you feel, right now. I eat what you feel. It's…delicious. Divine. Empowering." At the last word, the foxfire in his hand swelled up and seemed to get bigger and brighter. "Through Stiles, I found a well spring that was more fresh and rich than any I've ever tasted in 1000 years." Void smirked as he looked straight into his foxfire before opening his mouth. The giant sparking ball seemed to dissolve into smaller sparks and flew into his mouth until it was all gone. Void then made a point to swallow a little loudly which made Lydia turn away from him. "And I want more. No, I need more, much more. You know what that makes me, don't you Lydia?" He then moved so that he was hovering right over the side of his face. "Don't you?" Lydia shut her eyes as a small squeal escaped her. "I'm insatiable."

At that, Lydia tried very hard not to scream, even though she wanted to so very much. Both from fear…and from her internal instincts.


	21. Insatiable part 2

Chapter 21: Insatiable part 2

Meredith found herself in the music room. She heard a faint whispering that seemed to be coming from the piano. She went and pressed her ears towards the strings to try and listen better. She still had trouble hearing what was being said so she went and plucked a string to try and make it louder. It became a tone louder so she went and plucked it again.

"I can hear you," she muttered. "But I can't understand. Just…a little louder. Please?" She then began plucking the string again and again.

She didn't notice that the door to the room was opened. Slowly and silently, Brunski was stepping inside, and heading for her. He was completely unnoticed by Meredith until he took his electric taser gun and made the electricity crackle through the air. Meredith finally straightened up and turned around to stare at him, terrified.

He let a smirk creep on him as he saw her fear. "Let's go sweetheart. As you well know, I'm not adverse to using the tools of my trade," he said with slight amusement as he made the electricity crackle again to illuminate his smiling face. "As often as necessary."

But Meredith shook her head. "I…I just…I need another second," she told him before she moved to try and listen to the strings again. "Okay, they're trying to tell me something."

The smile faded from Brunski as he resumed moving for her. "Meredith," he lightly growled.

"Please. They're trying to tell me something," she begged him.

Brunski moved and raised his taser to zap her but his wrist was grabbed before he could bring it down on the girl.

It was Coach. "This school has a strict 'No Bullying' policy," he growled before he drove the taser into Brunski's chest and zapped him. Brunski fell to the ground and Coach couldn't help but smile and chuckle down at him. Scott, Stiles and Kira came running into the room but froze at the sight of him standing over Brunski and he gave them a look. "Well? Get her out of here," he spat at them.

That seemed to snap the kids out of their stupor as they moved and grabbed Meredith before they all ran out of the room.

Brunski grit his teeth as watched them all leave and glared at Coach. "You little piece of-"

But he didn't finish as Coach went and brought the taser down to zap him again. "We also frown on cursing."

The kids ran out of the school, towards the parking lot where Stiles had parked his jeep. Stiles helped Meredith inside while Kira went to Scott by the passenger door.

"I'll call you," she told him.

"Okay," Scott muttered.

She then looked over at Stiles. "And be safe."

"Thanks," Stiles told her. She then took off and the two of them turned to look back over at Meredith. "Okay," Stiles breathed. "Where's Lydia?"

Meredith shifted her eyes at the two of them. "Who's Lydia?" she asked.

That made the two boys share a pointed and aggravated look.

"Let's head back to my house," Scott told him. "Isaac will be there waiting for us."

Stiles nodded and started up the car. Stiles backed the car up before he went and sped up out of the parking lot. He sped them up so suddenly that Meredith was bumped a bit and her nails scraped through the leather of the seats. The scratching seemed to echo in her ears. She focused her eyes on her fingertips as she went and ran them down the seat cover again. The scratching sound vibrated in her ears and she narrowed her eyes as she listened to the echo. She could distantly hear a deep breathing sound followed by a howl. The howl had her head snap up to look over at the rear view mirror. She could see Stiles' eyes looking ahead as he was focused on the road. She saw Stiles blink his eyes before he opened them up for her to see that they were glowing gold. Her eyes widened up at the sight of them and the echoes of howling grew louder in her ears before she blinked her own eyes and saw that the glow was now gone.

"He's crying," she muttered.

"What?" Scott asked as he turned back to look at her.

Meredith kept her gaze on Stiles. "He cries for you. Clawing and howling to be with you again."

Stiles looked up at the rear view mirror to look at Meredith. "Who does?"

Meredith then looked up to meet his eyes at the mirror. "His crying…it's quieting down but, he's not stopping. Just like you don't stop crying to have him again."

"Okay, that's enough Meredith," Stiles said cutting in and making Meredith lean back in her seat.

Scott's eyes left Meredith and looked over at his friend who looked away from the mirror and back on the road. Scott saw his eyes try to focus but they were softening as a…longing came over him. Stiles' eyes seemed to notice that Scott was watching him so he cleared his throat and took a deep breath before he settled back in his seat. Now, it looked like Stiles had nothing bothering him. Scott then remembered what Lydia and Deaton told him. About what Stiles was trying to do without him knowing. From what Meredith just said, it seemed Stiles was hurting in more ways than one and he still didn't want him to know about it.

* * *

Chris melted the block of silver until it was as hot and thick as syrup. He then put the bowl of it right by his daughter. "Remember you can start over," he said gently. "I was a bit of a perfectionist about it myself. Always wanted the seal to look just right." He then reached in and pulled out his silver bullet. He held it so that they could see the engraved crest shine out on the polished surface of the bullet. He couldn't help but smile at his pride and joy.

Allison looked it over, top to bottom. "How many did you make?" she asked as she started to feel a bit nervous.

"Six, but I used them all. And only at close range. Despite some legends, silver is not quite so accurate as lead." He then left the bullet there for a guide and got up to leave Allison to her task.

But she stopped him. "Dad, wait. I-I think I should use my own mold."

He widened his eyes. "You have a bullet mold."

Allison shook her head. "No, not a bullet. An arrowhead." Her father looked confused. "The bow is my weapon so, I think I should make a silver arrowhead," she explained.

Chris smiled at her. "To each their own," he said as he bent down to give her a kiss on her forehead.

"Dad," she said when he broke away. "If something happens,"

He cut her off. "You don't have to say anything pumpkin."

"I know but, I didn't get to say anything to mom."

"You didn't have to say anything, and I'm going to be around for a long time."

"Yeah…it's just, with everything that's happened to you, being on the run now, I don't know what's going to happen. So…I love you," she said to him softly. "Maybe you don't need to hear it, but I need to know that I said it. I love you," she said sternly and without blinking an eye. "I'm proud of you."

Chris deflated a bit as he looked down at her with sadness in his eyes. Allison shouldn't feel so proud of him. He was the one that should be proud. For the first time in years, he felt that he was genuinely serving a noble purpose. Before, he always had moments where he questioned the things he had to do and the lengths that his family went. Now, he never felt so sure of his course of actions in years and it was thanks to his daughter that he was doing so. He gave his daughter another kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too sweetheart," he said to her. "And don't worry about me. I'll figure something out, okay?"

"Okay," she said almost inaudibly as she watched him leave so she could begin her ceremony.

* * *

Scott and Stiles ran into the house with Meredith but froze when they saw that Isaac wasn't alone in the house. Scott's father was also there and they seemed to have been waiting for them.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked him.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," his father said back to them.

Scott then remembered that they were supposed to be in school right now. His mother knew that he didn't go but his father didn't. Before Scott could try to come up with some kind of excuse, Stiles jumped in and took care of that for him.

"Free period," he chimed in enthusiastically. "Group study."

The man's eyes went over to Stiles. "I heard you were back. Good to see you again Stiles," he said in a dull tone before his eyes went over to Meredith. "Who's she?"

And they also didn't want Scott's dad to know that they had just brought a girl that had escaped from a mental institution to his home to help her find Lydia who had been kidnapped.

"Oh," Stiles said before he went and quickly put his arm around it. "It's my girlfriend."

Meredith just looked at him and didn't seem to know to play along as she just shook her head at him. "You're not my type."

Stiles tried not to let his irritation show in front of the man. "Obviously we have a lot to talk about. We should maybe take this upstairs?" he asked, hoping Meredith could take the hint.

Apparently not as she just smiled over in Isaac's direction. "He's my type."

That made Isaac widen his eyes at her before he looked over at Scott for some help. He just stared back helplessly, not knowing what to say or do about that, even if his father wasn't there.

Stiles thought that it was best that they just get out of there. "Okay, Isaac can come too."

Stiles then led Meredith away and Isaac got up to follow after them, leaving Scott alone with his father in the kitchen. He didn't know why his father was here but he knew that he didn't have time to waste with trying to work around him.

"Dad, look I'll explain all this later."

But his dad cut him off. "I don't care that you're not in school. I know your grades are fine. All I want to do is talk."

"Now's not really a good time," he said as he still wanted his dad gone so that he could focus on trying to find Lydia.

"Scott," his dad said more firmly to him. "We need to talk." He then directed Scott to the living room. "Please, take a seat."

Scott sat down and saw that his father seemed to be taking a moment to himself. "Dad, can we do this tomorrow?" he asked as he spared a look in the direction of the stairs where he wished he was right now.

"That's actually something I've been saying for a long time. Come here." He then went and led Scott to the stairs and pointed to a spot at the foot of them. "You see this? This indent on the floor?" he asked as he bent down over it. "That was from your head. The night before I moved out your…your mother and I were fighting." Scott then moved to bend down to look at the indent too. "You came out of your room, I pulled you by the wrist but you pulled back. And you fell. We watched you tumble down those stairs. You were out for like 20 seconds, when you came to you didn't remember a thing." Tears were starting to collect in his father's eyes. "Your mom told me to be out by the morning. That's the last time I ever had a drink. That's why I left," he finished softly.

Scott took a moment to take this in. His mother never told him about this. Whenever the subject of his father came up, she would always just say that he just left. Overtime, he began to think that he just didn't want anything to do with them anymore. Scott thought that his mother didn't tell him because she thought she was protecting him. Afraid of him getting hurt? Scott couldn't help but feel angry. Both at his mother and at his father. He deserved to know about this. He deserved to know a lot of things going on with the people closest to him but he pushed back those thoughts to focus and deal with the problem in front of him.

He took a deep breath and then walked over to the living room. "Okay dad, let me show you something. You see the edge of this windowsill?" he said pointing it out for him. "When I got my first skateboard, I slipped right into it, broke my collarbone." He then heatedly pointed to a table. "This used to be glass until I fell on top of it trying to catch a lacrosse ball from Stiles, I got three stitches in my cheek!" he said to him heatedly. "This house is full of accidents. The stairs…maybe it was an accident, maybe it was worse. But I heal and I don't need your apology. Whatever happened with you, me and mom back then, it doesn't give you the right to come back here and try and hurt my best friend and his dad. It's them you should be apologizing to, not me. If you needed to talk to me so badly then you just had to come and tell me you want to talk. Don't try and hide behind your job or go through mom or my friends to do it." He then shrugged his shoulders at him. "So, see you at graduation, or whenever you decide to show up again."

He then stormed off leaving his father standing in the living room staring after him.

* * *

Aiden was coughing out heavily as he was starting to spit up some black blood while Ethan was holding his wounds to try and stop the bleeding. They had been taken to some cave and Derek was at the entrance, keeping a look out.

"Where are we?" Ethan asked.

"It's a coyote den, now keep quiet," Derek hissed at them.

But Ethan was in no mood to be quiet right now. "Did you see the shooter? You know who it is?"

"No, I was a little busy. Who else have you two pissed off?" he asked them heatedly. The last thing they needed was unexpected trouble with the Nogitsune still out there.

"We pissed off everyone. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to us," Aiden spat out. This was why he and Ethan wanted to have Scott as their Alpha. For protection. But it seemed like it was too late for that now.

"The bullets had wolfsbane in them, so if I don't get you out of here soon the poison's going to spread." Derek then moved for the entrance. "Stay quiet. I'll be back," he told them as he left to try and find a trace of the shooter.

* * *

Stiles and Isaac took Meredith to Scott's room and sat her down.

"Okay," Stiles said clapping his hands together and jumping right into it. "You know who I am, right?" She nodded. "And you know the rest of us, right?" She nodded again. Stiles smiled. "Okay, then you must know Lydia?"

"Who's Lydia?" she asked again just like before.

Isaac's eyebrows rose up. "How is she supposed to help us again?"

Stiles let a frustrated huff out through his nose. "You know it's amazing. I'm gone for a couple of days and you're still unhelpful as ever." Isaac rolled his eyes as he stepped back while Stiles stepped closer to Meredith. "You chose to come here, right Meredith? Why? You heard something didn't you? Yesterday…it was Lydia, wasn't it?"

Meredith narrowed her eyes as she seemed to think harder on it. "Lydia? You mean the red-haired girl?"

Stiles let a relieved smile loose as he stepped back. "Yes, yes, this is good. Progress," he said giving Isaac a pointed look before looking back at her. "Now you can help us. All you gotta do is tell us where she is."

"Okay…if she tells me."

"If she tells you?" Isaac repeated. "Uh, can you ask her?"

"I already did," she told them.

"Perfect, what did she say?" Stiles asked.

"She said…she doesn't want to be found."

Stiles then sighed. "That's good too," he said as he moved to go into the bathroom to vent out some of his new frustration.

Isaac followed after him. "I'm liking this plan more and more," he smirked at him.

"Shut up," Stiles said as he started rubbing his eyes.

Isaac smirk faded as he noticed the dark circles in Stiles' eyes and the fact that he was wobbling a little in place. Stiles took another step but grabbed onto the sink to help keep himself steady. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just tired," Stiles said dismissively before looking back over at Meredith. "We need to find Lydia. If Meredith spoke to her somehow, then she has to know how to find her."

Isaac sat down at the sink and focused his gaze on her. "But she just said that she wouldn't tell us." His eyes then narrowed a bit. "You know, there is a way to make her tell us."

Stiles' eyes widened. "No, we're not going to torture her. Besides, she didn't say she wouldn't tell us. She wants to help us or else why would she even come here? She just said that Lydia doesn't us to find her."

"Okay…so we're supposed to find Lydia when she doesn't want to be found? How do we do that? How do we get Meredith to do that? I mean, you said that you think she's a banshee. You think that she might be able to find another one?"

"Maybe," Stiles mumbled as he kept his gaze on Meredith. He remembered how Lydia always talked about how her hearing. She heard things, whispers, voices or sounds that seemed to relate to what she was sensing or trying to sense. Sound had to be the key. "Alright, follow my lead," he whispered as he pushed himself forward. He then started to tap at random places in the room, audibly run his hands across the surface of walls, even took a string of yarn and plucked it.

Isaac's rose a questioning eyebrow at him. "Lead to where, back to nut house?" he whispered back. He was starting to think that maybe Stiles going crazy might not have all been the nogitsune.

"Shh," Stiles shot back with a hard whisper. He had a theory. He remembered how something always seemed to set Lydia off. A sound or vibration. Something connected with what she was trying to hear out or wanted her to hear it. He was hoping that the sounds he was making might trigger it for Meredith like it did for Lydia. "Listen to the sounds around you," he said to Meredith as he went to his dresser and knocked at it. "What do you hear?" he asked as he gave the top a tap.

Meredith narrowed her eyes. "A tapping sound."

Isaac nodded. "Yeah, I think I can hear it too," he said gently to her.

Stiles glared at Isaac's direction before he moved over to kneel in front of Meredith. "Focus Meredith. Listen…to the silence. Focus on the silence."

"Yeah, listen to the silence. Focus on the silence. Listen and focus," Isaac said after him.

"Okay, you know what Isaac, stop helping. Please, just be silent," he said not letting his gaze leave Meredith's face. "I have more experience with banshees."

Isaac shrugged. "Yeah and mental patients."

Stiles let his hands slam down at the sides of his legs as he turned to give Isaac a look that clearly told him to just shut up. Stiles' right hand actually made contact with his phone that was in his pocket. Hitting it seemed to send something through the air that made Meredith's eyes widen.

"Is anyone going to get that?" she asked.

"Get what?" Stiles asked her.

"The phone."

"What phone?" Stiles asked her. He didn't hear a phone ringing.

But she pointed to the phone in his pocket that he had just hit by accident.

"Your phone," Isaac told him.

"My phone?" Stiles said as he pulled it out. It wasn't ringing or vibrating. But then Stiles had a flash of when he first met Meredith. She had been saying all that stuff, to the phone. He wondered if banshees might have anchors and triggers just like werewolves did for suppressing or unleashing their shifts. If they did then perhaps phones were Meredith's. "Oh, my phone," he quickly said as soon as the idea came to him. "Uh, hello?" he asked as he held to his ear. He then nodded. "Yes, she is actually. She's sitting right here actually." He nodded and then held the phone out to her. "It's for you."

Meredith took it from her and seemed to silently be listening to something. She then handed the phone back to Stiles. "They say Coup de Foudre."

"Coup de Foudre?" both Stiles and Isaac repeated.

"Is that Spanish?" Stiles asked.

"It's French," said Scott as they all looked over to see him standing in the doorway. He looked like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs but he had a hard look on his face. Scott knew where he had heard that before. "I know where they are."

* * *

"I don't know where she is," Mr. Yukimura told his daughter. "But I do know that she is trying to keep you out of this for as long as possible," he said as Kira stared at him with a hard look on her face and her arms folded.

Kira had come back home from school to find that her mother was nowhere in sight and given all the things her mother has been doing lately, she didn't trust that was a good thing. "Well, maybe she should've thought of that before she had me magically rebuild a samurai sword."

Her father sighed. "Look, I know that a lot of this has got to be strange for you. You're going to need to learn a lot and quickly Kira."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like board games," she said as she gave the Go board a side look.

He turned around to eye it himself. "In Korea we call it Baduk." He then led her over to it. "There are different styles of play. Aggressive, Passive, Orthodox."

Kira calmed a bit. "Can you tell who's who?"

"I know you're black. The novice player always goes first."

"And white's the nogitsune."

Her father then went and held up one of the white pieces. "But these stones are placed in your mother's style. Aggressive."

"Yeah but, she put them down to represent the Nogitsune."

His eyes widened a bit. "You sure about that?"

Kira's own eyes widened. She knew she was right to worry about her mother not being home right now.

* * *

Allison was letting the metal cool completely down before she went and held up the finished arrowhead. She then went and compared it with the silver bullet her father left. The crest engraving on the arrowhead seemed to match but then her eyes fell a bit. She didn't know why but holding these two items together in front of her eyes like this was sending up red flags for some reason.

"What am I missing?" But before she could think more on it, her phone was vibrating. She saw that it was Scott calling her. "Scott?" she quickly said as she answered.

"We know where Lydia is," Scott told her.

* * *

Derek brought Ethan and Aiden to his loft after he came back with Chris Argent. They laid the two on the couch where they could safely recover from the aconite poisoning. Chris was surprised that Derek would go to him for help with this but hoped this was a good first start in trying to move away from their past. Derek was a little surprised himself that he would call the hunter so quickly but he knew he needed Chris' help when he investigated the area.

"I found these on the ground," he said showing Chris one of the shells that the shooter left behind.

Chris gave it a small glance. "This wasn't Araya, was it?" Though the woman and her band of hunters had come to town, he didn't think they came all the way to Beacon Hills just to go after the twins.

Derek shook his head. "No, I don't think so. They don't look like her shells." Given that he and Peter had dodged quite a lot of them a couple of weeks ago, he had a pretty good idea what they looked like.

Chris took the shell to give the casing a better look and his eyes fell on the engraving. There was a crest on the bottom and his eyes widened at the sight of it. "That's not possible," he muttered. But before he could say or do anything else, his phone started ringing. He picked it up and found that it was his daughter. "Allison?"

"They found her dad," her daughter quickly said. "They found Lydia. I'm on my way."

"Allison, wait, hold on. You have to wait," he quickly said to her. If what he thought turned out to be true then things in this town were about to get more complicated, and dangerous.

"I can't dad!" she cried.

"Allison, wait for me," he said more sternly.

"There's no time," Allison said back to him. "It's already night, there's no time dad."

"Wait, Allison. Wait!" But Chris heard a dead tone at the other end as Allison had hung up.

* * *

At the old gates of the Oak Creek camp, Noshiko walked up to them with the Oni flagging her from behind. She went and ripped the chain off the gate before she pushed them open and lead the Oni inside as they marched. She was going to finish this once and for all.

Down below the surface of the old camp, Lydia was stuck looking into Stiles' face as Void finally broke eye contact and looked up. He felt the presence of Noshiko close by. She was here and most likely had all her Oni with her. As he gazed up, Lydia's breathing started to settle a bit as she saw through the action.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" she told him. Void then brought his gaze back to her. "You know they're coming." It was nightfall. The Oni would be active and on the hunt for him now. "You know they're going to kill you," she said mockingly at him.

Void just moved his hand so that he trapped Lydia right in front of him as he leaned closer to her and stared at her with a hard look. "That's exactly why I'm keeping you so close," he said confidently.

* * *

After Allison hung up on her father, she grabbed her new silver arrowhead and headed out of the storage lockup. She scrolled down her phone's contacts and called Kira to ask her to meet her outside as Scott asked her to pick her up so that they could meet the guys at Oak Creek. Kira was waiting in front of her house as Allison pulled in and she quickly hopped in before they went off on their way. The ride was silent as Kira just tensely held the sword that was in front of her. Allison looked over and saw how nervous she seemed.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Allison softly told her.

But Kira shook her head. "No, I did. I helped do this to Stiles."

Allison's jaw stiffened. "None of this is your fault Kira," she quickly argued.

"It's because of me that the Nogitsune got the power to take control of him. And my mother has been trying to kill him. That makes everything he's been through my fault and it means I'm responsible. I have to help him, no matter what."

The hunter sighed. "Believe me, if there is anyone responsible for what Stiles has been through, it isn't you. It's me," she finished in a sad mumble.

Kira turned and gave Allison a look. "You?" Then Kira remembered the things her father said about Allison's family and how tense things seemed to be whenever Allison and Stiles were in the same place. "Something happened between you and Stiles, didn't it? Back when he was still a werewolf like Scott."

Allison took a deep and tired breath but she nodded. "Yeah, something bad. And Stiles hasn't quite forgiven me for what happened."

"What? Why?" Kira was surprised. "I helped ruin his life and he doesn't seem to hate me or my mother for any of it?" To her, it seemed Stiles was too forgiving. Why would he forgive her but not forgive someone as nice and sweet as Allison?

"Because neither of you wanted or meant to hurt him. I did." Allison then felt a tear start to roll down the side of her cheek and she quickly moved to swipe it away.

The tear didn't escape Kira's notice. "But you're sorry. I mean, I can tell that you're not proud of what happened. I'm sure that Stiles will forgive eventually."

"Yeah…everyone keeps saying that. That's the thing though. I'm not sure I want him to."

"Why?"

Allison let a small sigh loose. This thought had been rattling in her mind for a while now but she never told anyone. She didn't understand why she was choosing to share it now and with Kira. "When I…did what I did to Stiles I was sure that Scott would understand and eventually, he would forgive me. When he found out, he understood so well that he wasn't even mad. There was no time to get back his forgiveness. But Stiles, he's unforgiving enough for the both of them. I can't help but sometimes feel that's what I deserve. That since I didn't have to even try and get Scott to forgive me…then Stiles doesn't have to."

Kira's face fell. "That's not right," she mumbled. To her, it sounded like Allison thought that Stiles' bitter feelings towards her balanced out Scott's loving ones for her. She didn't think that was right and she also didn't think it was fair. Not to Allison, not to Stiles and not to Scott.

"Maybe not…but that's how it is. But please, don't say anything to Scott about this?"

Kira let a heated breath out but she nodded. "Okay," she told her even though she felt this was anything but.

* * *

Scott and Isaac climbed into Stiles' jeep as he started to drive them over for Oak Creek. They spent a good part of the ride not speaking with a tense silence hanging over the three of them. Every so often, Scott would sneak a glance Stiles' way. In the darkness, Scott could see Stiles' paleness sticking out even more as well as his eyes looking more and more tired. Yet, every time that Stiles caught Scott staring, he straightened up and focused himself to try and pass himself off as fine. Scott sighed as it was just like earlier when Meredith spoke to him about Stiles' wolf with Scott in the car.

"Are you okay?" Stiles asked after he sighed.

Scott turned away. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. He was nowhere near fine. Given that people seemed to be keeping stuff from him lately, and then seemed to keep wondering if he was the one that was okay. Why did everyone keep doing that? Stiles was the one that looked like he was wasting away and his friend was asking if _he_ was fine only made him feel worse and more on edge. "You don't have to worry about me."

Isaac could hear the blip and rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'm going to say it. You look like you're dying." That made Scott jump a bit and Stiles tense up but Isaac kept going to just get it all out in the open. "You're pale, thin and back at the house you looked like you were going to fall over a few times. And you look like you're only getting worse. We're all sitting here thinking it. When we find the other you is it going to look like he's getting better?"

Scott then sighed and looked over at Stiles. "What happens if he gets hurt?" Scott asked him.

These were all questions that had been going through both Scott and Stiles' heads lately. Was the reason that Stiles was in pain and getting weaker because the nogitsune was somehow still feeding off him? Had separated them actually made things worse instead of better? They were questions they didn't want to ask but still needed answered.

Stiles narrowed his eyes a bit. "What, you mean like if he dies then do I die with him?" he mumbled before he shrugged. "I don't care."

"Stiles," Scott mumbled to him. He could see that Stiles was serious when he said that. Stiles may not care but he certainly did. Stiles had been through enough, more than enough. Even more than Scott apparently knew if his time in his friend's mind said anything. He still felt cold on the inside as he remembered seeing his friend locked up with that knife stuck in him and his blood collecting on the floor.

Stiles face hardened. "Scott, I don't want anyone else to get hurt and die because of me. I remember, okay. I remember everything I did Scott. I remember pushing that sword into you and I remember twisting it."

"That wasn't you," Scott quickly tried to tell him.

"But I remember doing it. Okay…so, you've got to promise me. You can't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

"I promise Stiles," Scott said to him. "I promise that no one is going to get hurt, including you."

Stiles sighed as he just put his full focus on the road ahead. Scott could put all the false hope he wanted into this but something was telling Stiles, screaming at him, that this would only lead to despair no matter what or how hard they tried.

It was a few minutes later when they reached the gates of Oak Creek and found that Allison and Kira were already there and seemed to be waiting for them. The three of them got out of the car and met them all at the front gate. Everyone seemed nervous and scared. Scott especially but he knew that they had to do this, to save their friends.

"We've done this before guys," Scott said to everyone. "A couple of weeks ago we were standing around just like this and we saved Malia, remember? That was a total stranger. This is Lydia."

Everyone nodded as the thought of their good friend trapped here invigorated them.

Allison especially. "I'm here to save my best friend," she said before she looked over at Stiles. "And help someone we all care about."

"Same here," Scott said looking at Stiles too.

Kira let her gaze move to each of them. "I made some great friends when I came here…I don't want to lose any of them." Her gaze then stopped at Stiles. "Especially one that didn't know me and tried to help me anyway."

Stiles buckled under their looks and just lowered his gaze a bit and didn't say anything.

Isaac didn't know what to say in response to all of that. He just shrugged. "I just didn't feel like doing any homework."

They then went off and headed inside the old camp grounds. The place was huge and they decided that it was best to split up if they were going to find Lydia and the Nogitsune before Kira's mother. Scott and Stiles went one way and the others went the other way. Kira, Allison and Isaac moved through the courtyard until they found Kira's mother with the Oni outside one of the old barracks.

"Kira," she said sternly to them as she stared down at her daughter. "Turn around and go home. Take your friends with you."

But they didn't stop. They kept moving with Allison arming her bow and Isaac bringing out his claws. Kira just moved to confront her mother.

"I can't," Kira said to her. "When I looked at the game, I realized who I was actually playing. You."

Despite the tense situation, Noshiko couldn't help but be proud of her daughter for learning so much in such a short amount of time.

Allison then lifted her bow at Noshiko. "Call them off," she warned her. "Right now."

Noshiko just looked at her with pity. "You've seen what he has done. You still think you can take him alive? You think you can save him?"

"What if we can?" Kira asked.

"I tried something like that 70 years ago, your friend is gone," Noshiko lowly said to her daughter. "Even he knows it. I saw it in his eyes when I visited him last night. Stiles is prepared to die if that's what it takes to stop the Nogitsune."

"That doesn't mean we should just give up," Allison told her.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do to stop what is to happen now."

But Kira wasn't going to be moved by her mother. "Are you sure about that or are you scared mom?" she pressed. "Because if Stiles doesn't have to die then that means Rhys didn't have to die either."

At that, the Oni quickly readied their blades when they picked up their master's distress. Noshiko took a deep breath and smiled. "I see I'm no longer the fox now Kira, you are. But the Nogitsune is still my demon to bury." At that, the Oni then disappeared.

Scott and Stiles entered into the camp's old maintenance shacks and Scott quickly picked up Lydia's scent.

"She's here," Scott told Stiles before he ran off with Stiles moving to follow after him.

* * *

Void pushed the gate open, threw Lydia and himself into the room at the other side and shut the gate closed. Lydia looked around the room to see that there was nowhere else to go. They were trapped.

"They're here," she said as she eyed him smugly as he was looking up. "And I don't have to scream to know that they're going to kill you." She wasn't lying. She could feel that someone was about to die and it looked like it would be the Nogitsune.

But Void didn't falter as he looked back at her. "Good, which is why I brought you here. I needed to know when they were close enough, when death was closing in." He then pulled out the tail dagger he took from Noshiko. The next play he was going to make in his game.

"What?" Lydia mumbled.

Void and Lydia then stiffened when there were soon surrounded by the Oni. They were at the five points of the room and were staring directly at the Nogitsune. Lydia then broke away from him as the Oni readied their swords. Lydia looked over at Void but saw that he still didn't seem scared.

In fact, he was smirking. "It's only when they're close that I can do this." He then took the dagger between his hands and when the Oni closed in, he broke it.

The Oni then stopped in their movement and became still as statues. For a second, Lydia thought time had stopped but then the Oni dropped their swords and stood at attention, as if waiting for orders. Void smirked in Lydia's direction before he and the Oni vanished in a cloud of dark smoke. Now Lydia was starting to breathe quickly. The Nogitsune and the Oni were gone…so why did she still feel that death was impending? Why did she feel as if someone was about to die tonight?

Back on the surface, Noshiko gasped. She felt something strike her in the depths of her soul. Like a part of her was just cut away.

"Mom?" Kira asked as she saw the change in her mother.

Noshiko looked at her daughter wide eyed before she brought out her hand and revealed a firefly. It's light was dimming until it went out and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Isaac was freaked out by that. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"It means there's been a change in ownership." Everyone then turned around to see that the Nogitsune was there, with the Oni standing behind him. "Now, they belong to me." At his subconscious command, the Oni rose their swords up and went into a battle stance.

* * *

Lydia was just standing there, at a loss for why the feeling of death seemed to be getting clearer and closer when she heard footsteps.

"Lydia?" It was Stiles. The real Stiles and he was with Scott. "Are you alright?" he asked as Scott went to open the gate and free her.

Lydia's eyes widened at the sight of them. "No. No, no, no," she cried. "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean, we're here for you," Stiles said.

"You weren't supposed to be here. You didn't get my message?" she asked them.

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Lydia, what's happening?" Why was she so scared?

"Who else is here?" she asked them. "Who came with you?! Who else is here?!" she asked, panicked.

Scott's breath left him. If Lydia was this worried…and the Nogitsune wasn't here anymore. He then remembered what he heard Meredith say. That Lydia didn't want to be found. What if that was a warning, because she felt something was going to happen? He didn't spare another moment as he bolted and tried to hurry back up to the surface.

* * *

Void smiled at the sight before his dark eyes landed on Noshiko. "You may have been Aggressive in this game but you gave out under my Fire Style." He then held out his hand to show a ball of dark purple foxfire. Its electricity sparked menacingly in his palm as he watched it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world for a moment before looking back at Noshiko. "You recognize exactly where we are, don't you?"

Noshiko gave the area a look before her eyes widened. Memories of the mob gathering here to surround the doctor's car. And the spot she was standing. The very spot. She gasped as the memory of seeing the Molotov cocktail break at Rhys' feet before he burned. "No," she cried.

Void nodded. "Truly poetic isn't it? Now you get to burn where your beloved Rhys did with your loved one present to watch." He then went and threw the ball for her.

"No!"

"Kira!" Noshiko shouted as her daughter jumped in front of its path.

Kira made a swipe at the ball of foxfire with her sword. As soon as the blade made contact, the firefox broke apart into tiny specks of light that sparked as they fell to the floor and fizzled out like firecrackers. Allison, Isaac and Noshiko stared open eyed at Kira as her eyes widened as she looked up and down at her undamaged sword.

But Void just softly snorted at them. "Cute. No I mean it, that was really adorable. But don't think that some beginner's luck will be enough to stop me."

"We will stop you," Kira said to him as she tightened her grip on her sword.

Void's eyes widened. "Oh?" He then smirked at them. "You think because your mother ran to a wolf and was able to get the jump on me that you'll do better because you ran to a pack of them? Things aren't quite the same as they were last time for me. You see, just like my host, I've learned from past mistakes, even if they're not mine. And I've risen passed them."

Isaac narrowed his eyes at the mention of Stiles. He remembered asking about how the Nogitsune would look when they found him in comparison to Stiles. Looks like he was right. This guy looked far better than Stiles did. Even though he seemed just as pale, he looked stronger and sturdier than Stiles was looking right now.

"I don't think taking Stiles was as smart as you think," Allison glared at him. "For one, it made you more enemies than you could handle."

Void rose his eyebrows up. "Have I? Well, then I'll have to see to that. Starting by cutting that number down by four." The Oni behind him then had their luminescent eyes glow brightly for them as they all let out a group hissing sound.

"Stop!"

Everyone turned to the side to see Scott emerging from one of the sheds and running into the courtyard.

Void rose his hand up and the Oni stood down. He then smirked over at Scott. "Well Scott, glad you made it in time. I didn't want you to miss this. Seems I've become Alpha of my own little pack," he said as he looked back to the Oni behind him. He then turned to have his smirk pointing back to him. "How about that huh? Birds of a feather, am I right dude? Or should it be fur?"

"Stop talking like you're Stiles, _Void_ ," Scott spat his name out at him. "And you have no pack," he scoffed. "And you're definitely no Alpha."

Void went and stuck his bottom lip out a bit. "That hurts Scott. One would think that you believed you were the only special one allowed around here."

"Just leave Stiles alone and go back where you came from and no one has to get hurt," he growled at the Nogitsune.

Void finally lost the calm look on his face as he narrowed his eyes at Scott. "And if I don't?" he challenged. Scott just stared back at him with the glare still on his face. Void matched the hard look at he stared Scott down before he loosened up and tilted the right side of his mouth into a side smirk. "Ah, typical Scott. All bark and no bite, _in more ways than one_ ," he mumbled the last part to himself though Scott still heard him. But he then rose his tone again. "And you're wrong about me. I actually have more of Stiles in me than you'd think. I just don't have the parts that will let you hold me back and keep me from realizing my true strength."

But Scott shook his head. "Stiles, the real Stiles is stronger than you'll ever be. And I, all of us," he said giving his friends all a look, "are part of the reason why. I know because all of them are the reason why I'm stronger. Why all of us are stronger. And that's what's going to help us stop you."

Void's smirk grew deeper. "That so? Well then Scott, you should be willing to put your money where your mouth is."

Scott narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"The timeless and classic tradition and game of war: Single Combat. One on one, leader against leader, you and me. You win then you can have Stiles back. I win, then you're all mine. What do you say?"

"Scott," Allison said to him. She didn't think this was a good idea as she was sure that this had to be some trick.

But Scott didn't turn away as his glare only deepened at the Nogitsune. "Fine then."

The Oni stood at firm attention as soon as Void straightened himself. Scott gave Allison and Isaac a look and silently told them to stay away and let him handle this. They didn't seem to like it but they moved towards Kira and her mother. Void and Scott then moved a bit closer until they were a few feet from each other, facing one another. Scott was looking at him with a focused hard look on his face while Void had Stiles' face looking calm and at ease. A moment passed and they then charged at one another. Scott tried to punch at Void though when he caught the sight of Stiles' face, he pulled it back and Void easily caught it.

Void rolled his eyes and pushed at Scott so that he was backed away a few feet from him. "Is this the strength and power you bragged about? If it is, then you better start kissing your friends goodbye. The question is, who do we start with first?" he asked as he looked at the others.

Scott gasped. He wouldn't lose his friends, not one. He had to stop and remember that this wasn't Stiles he was fighting, no matter how much it might look like him. Just a while ago, he promised Stiles that no one would get hurt and he saw the resignation on his friend's face. Stiles may accept that there was no chance but Scott wouldn't. He couldn't. That trail of thinking started to make his pulse go faster and the temperature of his blood go higher. It ran to the tips of his fingers, expelling his claws. Traveled to his jaws and made his fangs appear. Spread to his face and to the center of his eyes making him reveal his fully shifted face. With his red eyes, he looked upon Void and saw that his aura was present, and the dark fox was leering at him. Scott then roared at Void with all he had making him look squarely back at him.

The roar didn't frighten Void, it settled him. "Now that's more like it."

* * *

Stiles and Lydia were moving through the tunnels, trying to get to the surface to meet with everyone else when Stiles was starting to falter a bit. He then started to lean against the walls a bit and he wasn't moving as fast.

"Stiles, are you okay?" Lydia asked him

"I…I'm-" But Stiles couldn't say anything more than that his feet started to give out.

"Stiles!" Lydia cried as she bent down in front of him.

Stiles stared back at her bleary eyed before he let his shoulders slump and seemed to go unconscious. For a cold second, Lydia thought that what she was feeling right now was about Stiles, given how the Nogitsune kept taunting her about it earlier. But, when she quickly checked Stiles' pulse, it was lower than normal, but still there. Stiles seemed to have simply just passed out from exhaustion. Lydia then looked upwards. The feeling was getting stronger, but it didn't seem to be coming from Stiles. But then who was it going for?

* * *

Scott made a swipe at Void's head but he backed away from Scott's claws before he tried to throw a kick his way. Scott blocked it with his arm before he charged forward with a punch. Void spun backwards to avoid it as he brought his leg up to kick at Scott's back. Scott fell forward to his knees but he quickly threw himself up to his feet and turned around to face him, still able to fight. Void then moved to attack this time and threw some punches for Scott but he intercepted each of the blows with his upper arms but Void's barrage made him start to back up a bit. Scott then quickly jumped as Void sent another punch and then kicked off from Void's shoulders which caused him to stagger forward a few steps. Scott landed on the floor and then quickly pounced at him, his claws poised to strike when Void's left hand quickly snapped backward and caught Scott's right hand by the wrist. He then quickly tightened his hold and twisted his arm which made Scott gasp in pain before bending forward. Void then took his right hand and quickly sent three hard blows to Scott's ribs before throwing a hard right hook across his jaw. The blow sent Scott falling to the ground in a slump. Scott tried to pick himself up and was on all fours when Void went and sent a solid kick into his ribs which had his arms give out and his face meet the ground. Void faced Scott as he rolled over a bit and coughed up some blood on the ground.

"Scott!" Kira cried out.

Void's face fell into a devious smirk as he looked over at the Kira and the others before looking back at the fallen alpha. He then held his hand out and let sparks fly above his open palm before his foxfire took the eerily familiar form of a ball of electricity. Everyone watched as Void was raising it slowly, getting ready to hurl it down at Scott. Isaac breathing quickened and he let a growl loose before he charged. The next moment, there was a flash of movement and blood sprayed out into the open air. Everyone looked over at Isaac as the edge of a sword had swiped at him and wounded him across his chest. One of the Oni had drawn its weapon and struck at him before he could get too close to Scott and the Nogitsune. Void glared in Isaac's direction and then threw the ball of foxfire for Isaac. Allison quickly fired an arrow and intercepted it in mid-air.

"You violated the rules of Single Combat. You know what that means?" Void then looked over at the Oni. "Attack," he calmly commanded.

The Oni then moved for the others and they sprung into action. Allison met their blades with her bow as Kira pushed her mother back before bringing out her sword and blocking each of their hits. Isaac tried to hurl himself at the Oni fighting him but it easily jumped over him and sent a hard backhanded strike that threw him to the side. Scott lifted his head and watched and grit his teeth as he tried to get up to help them through the lingering pain he was feeling. Void just moved to the side and was leaning against some old crates, watching in amusement.

Kira was fighting two Oni at once, frantically trying to block each of their attacks. "How do we stop them?" she cried at her mother.

"You can't!" Noshiko cried.

Allison tried to fire an arrow at one of them but they swung their sword and cut the projectile in two as it fell uselessly to the floor. She moved to try and launch another arrow and another but the Oni kept dicing them up as it moved for her. Allison then moved to string her last arrow when Isaac pounced at the Oni going after her and threw it against the wall. He gave Allison a look before the one he was fighting before moved and struck him across the stomach. Isaac gasped before the Oni he pushed away moved to strike its sword across his back. Isaac then stiffened up from the blow exposing the full of his front to the Oni that cut him first. It was now standing in front of him, lifting its sword high, ready to deliver a killing blow when an arrow went and flew into its chest. Allison fired her last one into it, the one that had her freshly forged silver arrowhead. The Oni dropped its sword as it moved to try and pull the arrow out. However, a bright golden light seemed to shine where it was hit and soon it screeched before it exploded right there.

The explosion seemed to make everyone freeze in their place as their eyes just widened at what just happened. Void, however, recovered quickly as he went over to grab the destroyed Oni's fallen sword before he went and harshly flung it for Allison. The movement caught her eye and she turned just in time for the sword to find it's mark into her stomach.

Down below in the tunnels, Lydia drew in a deep breath as she felt death come and claim its target. Their identity suddenly loud and clear to her. "ALLISON!" she screamed out.

Void turned and looked over at Scott whose face had paled and was frozen in shock. "One down," he said before he turned around and walked off towards the Oni. They began to fade into black smoke and Void walked into it and vanished along with them.

Allison stared down at the sword that vanished into black smoke along with the other Oni but left a wound that was now bleeding more heavily and freely without the blade blocking it. Her bow slipped from her fingers and she began to fall to the ground.

Kira ran over to her mother and embraced her as they looked over at Allison laying on the ground. Isaac was on his knees, clutching one the sword wounds decorating his body, but finding himself unable to move for her. Instead, it was Scott who managed to get to her. He sat by her and lifted her up onto his knees.

"Allison," Scott cried as he looked in horror at the blood gathering in Allison's hands as she tried to cover her own wound.

"Did you find her?" she gasped. "Is Lydia safe?"

"Yeah," he quickly whispered to her as he lightly moved the hair stuck to her face. "She's okay." He then moved to take hold of her wrist just above her bloodied hand. He focused as hard as he could, but nothing seemed to be happening. He wasn't able to take the slightest bit of her pain away from her. "I-I can't," he gasped out. "I can't take your pain."

But Allison just smiled at him. "That's because it doesn't hurt."

If it didn't hurt, then that could only mean one thing.

Scott shook his head. "No," he said he kept trying.

Allison's face softened a bit. "It's okay."

Scott's eyes were starting to shine a bit. "Allison,"

"It's okay," Allison cut in. "It's okay. It's perfect. I'm in the arms of my first love. The person that I love. The person that I'll always love. I-I love you," she cried to him. "Scott…Scott McCall."

Tears were now freely falling from Scott's eyes now. "Allison, please. Don't please," he begged.

Allison felt her strength leaving her and she had to make sure that they knew. "You have to tell my dad," she squeaked out. "Tell my dad and…tell Stiles…he doesn't have to-" But her throat started to fill up with blood and she was having trouble breathing. She kept her eyes on Scott's face for one last moment before she felt everything going dark around her.

"No," Scott gasped out as he saw Allison closing her eyes and he tried to shake her to stay awake.

But Allison's body relaxed and then stilled as death finally claimed her.

Kira began crying as her mother took her and pulled her to her so that she could cry into her as she lightly rubbed the top of her head.

Lydia was crying as let herself rest against Stiles' shoulder as he sat there, still unconscious though there still was a pained look on his face.

Isaac felt his insides shrivel up as he stared at the sight of Allison in Scott's arms. Soon he felt his body going numb and he didn't have enough strength to keep his head up keep seeing the sight.

Chris Argent ran into the camp with his gun already ready and quickly spotted everyone but stopped when he saw that they seemed to be in some kind of emotional distress. Distress that he began to share in when he saw the sight of his daughter, not moving, in Scott's grasp.

* * *

A man opened the door to an apartment where there were a handful of men, cleaning and assembling their guns. He walked on passed them to the woman sitting by the window, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Well?" she asked.

He nodded even though she wasn't looking at him. "Yes, you were right." He then went and put a bullet shell by the table next to her.

Araya Calavara gave it a side look before she smiled into her cup. "Bueno," she said before she rose her cup to take a sip of her coffee. "Mmm, muy bueno."

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this emotional and heart wrenching chapter. It took me a long time to write and went through countless rewrites at scenes. And speaking of re-writes, I wanted to alert you about a massive one I did just the other day to chapter 6 of my first story Teen Wolves. I added a new scene to it. I thought the chapter lacked some Stiles time so I gave him a new one. Check it out, when you feel up to it.


	22. The Divine Move

Chapter 22: The Divine Move

Scott, Lydia and Isaac were sitting together on a bench in the Sheriff's station. The three of them were saying nothing. They just sat there and let themselves be lost to their separate despairs. For Lydia, her insides still felt cold when the feeling of Allison's death passed through every inch of her body. Now, more than ever, she cursed herself for having the ability to sense death. It always got to her, but to actually feel her own best friend's death, it was ten times worse. The feelings always faded a little after it seemed to happen, but now it was lingering around. On the other side of the bench sat Isaac who was staring down at his hands. His wounds were healing but his heart was still bled. Allison was dead and he watched her die. As painful as it was, the fact that she died in Scott's arms and proclaimed his love for him was torture. The last memory he would have of her would be telling Scott she loved him and always would. The last few hours for them felt like a dream. No…not a dream. A nightmare.

Especially for Scott. He was just staring absentmindedly at a spot on the opposite wall but wasn't really looking at anything. His mind just kept replaying Allison's final moments in his arms. Feeling her life slipping away and having her blood get stuck to his hands. Allison's father had quickly pulled Scott away so that they could talk about what to do next. He dimly remembered it.

" _Scott, look at me. Look at me!" Chris yelled at him to get him to snap out of his stupor. "You called Stilinski first!"_

" _Uh, I called him first," he breathed out quickly._

" _You say Stiles' dad or the Sheriff," Chris said to him pointedly._

" _I called Stiles' dad first."_

" _Okay, what else?"_

" _There…there were two of them. They wanted our car. They were wearing masks. One had a knife."_

" _You think," Chris cut in sternly. "Don't get specific Scott. You saw something sharp and metallic. You think it was a knife." Scott quickly nodded. "What do you say next? If you get confused, what do you always repeat?"_

" _Uh, it happened so fast."_

" _That's right. Now say it again." But Scott kept looking away from him, trying not to lose himself. But Chris grabbed him to make him face him. "Scott. Say it again."_

 _But Scott shook his head. "How are you doing this?"_

 _Chris just stared off, silently for a moment before he looked back at him. "It's what we do." He then turned away. "It's what we do," he repeated before he left._

That scene played through Scott's mind so vividly that he couldn't hear Parrish's next question.

"Can you remember anything else?" He saw that Scott seemed to be in shock so he moved on to Isaac. "Isaac?"

But Isaac just stared at his hands, letting some tears fall. "I'm sorry," he coughed out. "It just happened so fast."

His shoulder was lightly grabbed by the Sheriff who then looked over at Parrish and they both agreed, this interview was over.

* * *

Isaac had gone back to the apartment and found Chris standing outside Allison's room. Right now, there was no one watching the house so Chris was able to easily get inside without being seen. Chris took a small look over to the front door to see that it was Isaac before he turned to return to looking into his daughter's room. Isaac just closed the door behind him and just stood there, watching him.

After a moment, Chris finally spoke. "Listen, I appreciate you coming here but you don't have to stay. I'll be alright." The whole time he didn't look away from Allison's room.

Isaac just shook his head. "How?"

That finally made Chris look over at him. Scott had asked him the same question. He didn't really answer him, because he didn't like the answer himself. "I've already been through this before," he said as he moved over to the young man. "It's an ability for hunters to be trained to compartmentalize emotions. To be able to keep focused and your mind clear."

Isaac looked over at him with his face broken. "I don't." His mind was anything but focused and clear. His heart had been torn out tonight, more than once. He couldn't let himself be sad when he was being angry and he couldn't be angry because he was sad. He was mourning for Allison's death as well as Scott's pain and Stiles' incoming doom. Yet, at the same time he couldn't help but want to be angry at them all for causing him so much pain in his heart.

Chris could see his plight and he moved to pull Isaac into a hard hug. Chris then let his steely front drop as he let anger and sorrow loose a bit himself.

* * *

The Stilinski home was vacant. The Sheriff was at the station and Stiles was currently with the Yukimuras. So no one was there someone thrust the front door open and then walked up the stairs until they entered Stiles' room. Void stepped inside to see that the room was practically untouched from the last time he had been in here. He turned to look at the mirror at his new ensemble. He broke into an outlet and got himself some new clothes to replace the torn up rags that he had been wearing. The black leather jacket and jeans seemed to complement his vessel well. He would wield this strength better and more productively then its previous owner could only dream. He let himself smile at his image before he moved over for Stiles' table. On the table was the chessboard that he had set up, still untouched. He went and picked up the piece representing Allison, smirked at it and then threw it off behind his shoulder. He then picked up Stiles piece and moved it in the direct path of Scott's piece where it would trap him and have him taken by the opposing pawns next move. Beside him, the Oni appeared. Four of them but it would be enough.

He looked over at the two by his left shoulder. "Go," he commanded.

The two Oni let out a low pitched hiss before they vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Void then took a deep breath before the remaining Oni moved to stand on either side of him before they conjured their black smoke and they vanished, taking him with them.

* * *

Stiles was sitting with Kira in their home. Kira had offered him to stay with them tonight and he didn't see anything else for him to do so he agreed. Kira could see that Stiles was greatly upset. Upset and no doubt guilty. She might not know everything that happened between the two of them but she easily saw the blame he had for himself in his eyes. She knew because she felt that same blame for everything surrounding Stiles in the last couple weeks. She could also see that he was looking even worse than he did yesterday and knew that he needed help. Right now, everyone else would be too busy to really help him so she insisted for him to join her and her mother in their home. Her mother didn't even put up a fight with her on that.

Noshiko then came into the room with a pot and mug. She then went and poured some contents from the pot into the mug and handed it to him. "Here, it will calm you."

"What is it?" Stiles mumbled as he half wondered if it was poison though found himself not minding if it was.

"Tea," she told him.

"Magic tea?"

She let a small smile loose. "No, Chamomile tea. Drink it."

Stiles sighed before he reached and took a small sip. Admittedly, he found the muscles in his back easing a bit though the pressure on his heart remained.

Kira's father then walked over to him. "He's not safe here."

"He's not safe anywhere," Noshiko countered.

"But Allison killed one of them," Kira pointed out. "Doesn't that mean something? She killed an Oni."

"Is that even possible?" Mr. Yukimura asked his wife.

"I don't know but she did it. She killed one of them," Kira told him.

"Yeah, Allison killed one of them and then he went and killed her," Stiles huffed out. He would admit that he was far from being a fan of Allison Argent, but even at his darkest, he wouldn't wish her to be dead. His eyes went over to the Go board that was set up in front of him. "Took another piece from our side of the board and it's because of me."

Kira seemed to read what was going through Stiles' mind. "Stiles, that wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, it is," he said not lifting his eyes from the board. "He went after her father, destroyed his life, then he took Allison's all because he thought it's what I wanted and made it easier to take me." Kira deflated. She didn't know what to say to that. "Allison's dead…and the only good part is that it looks like I'm dying too."

Noshiko moved to sit next to him. "He made a powerful move separating you two. It was just as powerful as the move he made in risking himself by taking you as a host. Hearing you now, it's hard to even fathom why," she said with a small glare.

"Mom," Kira said to her sternly.

But Noshiko kept her gaze on Stiles who still had his eyes down at the table. "Don't you see that this is what he wants? To break you as to lessen the threat you pose to him. As long as you're still alive, you're still connected which means you are still a threat. That's why he's been playing these tricks and games with your mind. To make you give up and surrender to him instead of resisting him with everything you have. I surrendered to the pain and chaos, and the consequences have haunted me for 70 years. By calling the Oni, I was trying to bury my demon instead of standing up to it. Please, don't make the same move I did Stiles. Don't give in and surrender to his plays. Do what I couldn't and rise over him."

Kira let loose the first real smile at her mother in what feels like ages. Her mother had spoken sternly to Stiles but it was with full encouragement as opposed to the neglect back at Oak Creek. She could see that her mother didn't want Stiles to suffer the cost for her pain like Rhys did. And neither did she. Stiles looked like he was ready to give up on himself but she knew that there were too many people not willing to let him.

She went and put a comforting hand over his wrist. "Allison wouldn't want you to just give up. Not ever."

Stiles stiffened for a moment before he closed his eyes and let loose a deep breath to relax his muscles. He could do this. No matter what, he wasn't going to make the game easier for Void to win. He was going to do whatever it took for him to make sure he lost, for good. Stiles then focused his attention back on the Go board in front of them. "Okay…so far, everything he's done has been to try and force us to do what he's been wanting us to do so that we were in place for his next move." Like chess. "Now with Allison, the Oni and with me dying…we might only have one move left before he tries to finish the game."

"So, what's our move?" Kira asked as she went and set a piece down.

Her father sighed. "At this point, our only hope would be a Divine Move."

Stiles finally looked up from the board. "What's a Divine Move."

Noshiko looked up at her husband. "In the game of Go, it's what we call a truly inspired or out of the box move. The Nogitsune has centered the advantage to this point. What you need is a Divine Move in order to turn the game around."

"And win?" he asked her. "Okay, so is anyone feeling divinely inspired?" he then asked the room.

Kira narrowed her eyes. "Mom, you said that you trapped the Nogitsune in a glass jar right?"

"It wasn't the jar that trapped it, it was where I buried it," she told her.

"The Nemeton," Stiles realized.

"A place that I don't know too much about," Noshiko said to him.

"Then who does?" asked Kira.

Stiles knew. "Deaton. Deaton does."

* * *

Derek was burning the wolfsbane out of Ethan's body with a lighter as Aiden was looking out of the loft's high window, going over everything that had happened.

Derek then saw that the burn was starting to heal and pulled the lighter away. "It should be fine in a couple of hours, unless whoever shot you finds you again."

Aiden had enough of being here and started to head out. "Lydia's with Scott. We better go." He gave a look to his brother and Ethan moved to head out too.

"You're going to try and convince her to go with you?" Derek asked him making them stop.

"I'm going to convince her to run and hide, like any sane person would do."

Derek looked over at Ethan. "And Danny?" he guessed.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at him. "Allison is dead. Stiles is dying and now there is a Nogitsune out there that can dive into people's heads, throws balls of electricity from his hands and has the Oni. What do you think?"

"I think that Danny won't believe you," Derek said looking at Ethan before turning to Aiden. "And Lydia would never run and hide."

"Because of Stiles?" Aiden guessed.

"Because of Scott," Derek answered. "You have been trying to find a way into his pack, trying to earn his trust. Trying to fight for him but you've had it wrong the whole time. You don't fight for a leader, you fight for his cause."

"What cause?" Aiden asked him.

"Scott's always been about one thing: Saving his friends. He will do anything and everything to save the people he cares about. When there's no chance of winning, he keeps fighting. When all hope is lost, he finds another way. When he is beaten down, he stands up again. Find another way to stand and fight."

* * *

At the station, the Sheriff moved over to Parrish. He was prepared to head out to try and meet back up with his son. This wasn't the time for him to be alone, no matter how much he seemed to think it was. But, first he had to see to safeguarding everyone. With Allison's death, on top of her father's charges of murder and him on the run, more attention was going to be set on them which is the last thing any of them need right now.

"We need to try and keep this quiet for as long as we can. Once the press finds out then they're going to be all over those kids."

"You want a squad car outside your house?" Parrish asked him. Given everything that's happened to the Sheriff's son, not to mention his history with the family, he thought that some protection might be called for.

The Sheriff seemed to agree. "That might be a good idea, especially tonight."

But they didn't say anymore as Parrish noticed a puff of black smoke appear behind a deputy and then vanish revealing what seemed to be a man in black ninja garb. He pulled out his gun just before the deputy was struck from behind by a sword. The Sheriff looked over and saw that it was two of the Oni and immediately went for his own gun. He and Parrish immediately began to open fire. One of them ducked away while the other got pelted by the barrage of bullets and fell to the ground. The rest of the deputies in the station went and ducked in cover while the Sheriff quietly, but carefully moved to check on the Oni. He saw that it wasn't moving. But then, some dark smoke was pouring from it before it then jumped up as if nothing had happened. The Sheriff was moving to shoot him again.

"Sheriff!" one of his deputies called out.

He turned around and narrowly avoided being cut by the Oni other's blade. It had sneaked up behind him and the Sheriff ducked and pushed it before jumping out of the way. When he was clear, the deputies opened fire on it. The bullets seemed to bounce off it as it stayed firmly on its feet. The other one walked calmly inside and the two started to walk over for them. No matter how many times they were hit, the Oni just kept moving until they got to the nearest deputy. They then brought their swords out and one swiped it at the man and caught him by his upper right chest.

"Fall back!" The Sheriff said as he stood next to Parrish and they kept shooting.

Another deputy was caught in their path as he tried to shoot at them from close range but they were then struck by the Oni's sword and then fell. The Sheriff then ran off but while Parrish eased back but kept on shooting. One of the Oni was approaching a kneeling deputy who taking cover and shooting behind his desk.

"Get out of there!" Parrish shouted at him.

But the deputy didn't move. The Oni got in front of him and that made the deputy stand but take his gun and unload a bullet right at its head. The bullet bounced off the mask and the deputy face fell in shock. The Oni then raised his sword and then a deep red slice appeared on the man's shoulder and he fell to the ground like dead weight.

Parrish fell back to one of the offices as he kept opening fire. He then saw that he was empty and went to load another mag just as one the Oni stepped into the office after him. He then shoot another two shots which bounced off the Oni's mask too.

"You're going to need a bigger gun!" the Sheriff told him just before he cocked a shotgun and fired.

The Oni was hit square in the chest and was thrust back, out of the room. The remaining deputies tried to surround the other Oni and shoot but it still had little effect. It started to cut through the deputies until it started to make its way towards Parish. The Sheriff pushed him out of the way to try and block the sword with his shotgun, but it managed to nick him by the side of his arm. He then felt his body become heavy and he fell to the floor in a slump.

"Sheriff!" Parrish shouted as he went and let loose to empty his clip into the Oni.

It whacked the bullets away with its sword, with lightning fast reflexes, and then pounced for Parrish.

* * *

Void entered through the front doors of the hospital and calmly walked over for the reception desk where a nurse was working on some paperwork.

"Hi there," Void said making the man look up at him. But the man's eyes widened when his two Oni appeared on either side of him out of thin air. "Can you page Melissa McCall for me please?" Void asked with an amused smile on his face as he saw the man's shock. After a moment, one of his Oni then brought out his sword and ran it right through the nurse and made him fall to the ground. He smiled as he could already feel the pain oozing out of that man and flowing into him. "I guess I'll just have to find her myself."

He then looked to the Oni and then they moved off. He stayed a few steps behind to enjoy the show. The Oni moved through the hall, slashing and striking at anyone unlucky enough to cross their path with their blades. Bodies of doctors, nurses, orderlies and patients started to drop to the floor like rocks. Void fed off their pain, off the chaos that the hospital was plunging into as people started to run off, screaming and panicked, trying to distance themselves from being struck down by the Oni. As he walked, the lights around him flickered as if the elements themselves were trembling, bowing before his power. Void just calmly smiled as he basked in the sight of what he was unleashing. There was only one step remaining before he was fully invincible. Void then stopped when a flash of images went through his eyes. Images of Noshiko and Kira, with a Go board in front of him. The two foxes were looking at him in concern and support. It lasted for a moment before he shook it away.

His foot hit a dropped phone of a doctor that had a deep cut down her side and wasn't moving. "Hope you don't mind. I have to make a quick call," he muttered as he grabbed for it and dialed a certain number.

Stiles was sitting alone in the Yukimura's living room, still staring hard at the Go board. Suddenly, he saw himself in his room, in the dark, staring at a chess board. A piece was then picked up and thrown off to the side before setting up a new formation and then he found himself back in the living room. He blinked as he wondered what had happened when his phone started vibrating a moment later. He took it out and saw that an unknown number was calling him. "Hello?" he lightly asked when he answered.

" _Hey Stiles_ ," he heard his own voice say back to him.

Stiles stiffened. "What do you want?" he growled lowly into the receiver.

" _Whoa, why the hostility Stiles?_ " Void asked with some light amusement.

"Do you really have to ask?" Stiles lowly spat.

" _I thought you hated Scott and Allison's whole Romeo and Juliet fantasy. Especially since it was the best friend who was the first to fall. I changed how that part of the story went_."

"Yeah, well your re-write sucks."

" _Hmm, you're angry_ ," Void calmly said.

"Wow, you're quite the clever fox aren't you?" Stiles said sarcastically to him.

" _You don't have to pretend with me Stiles. Our connection may not be as strong as before but I know the truth. In your eyes, Allison was never going to be your friend._ "

Stiles free hand tightened into a deep fist. "If you really think that this is what I wanted then you're not as clever as you like to think you are," he angrily told him.

" _Let's find out then_."

"What?"

" _It's time to finish our game. Meet me at the school within the next hour. Bring Scott and the others too if you want, though, he might not be so eager to play for your team anymore. His mind may know that you didn't kill the love of his life, but his heart will always see you the one that took his beloved Allison away. And, let's face it, Scott's mind is not exactly the sharpest around. It's that annoyingly bleeding heart of his that rules him_ ," he snorted in amusement.

"You think all of us are just going to let you win your twisted game?!" Stiles literally spat out. Void's words were making him see red.

Void chuckled. " _Oh Stiles, you don't get it. I've already won. This will just be your final move before checkmate._ "

Void then hung up and threw the borrowed cellphone aside. He then looked to see that the Oni were nowhere around. He looked up at the ceiling to feel that they were already a floor above him, still _cutting_ their way through the hospital. Void sighed before moving to head for the stairs.

Stiles looked down to see that the Nogitsune hung up on him before looking out. "Kira!"

* * *

Scott and Lydia walked with Deaton into the back room as they relayed what they had learned from Stiles and Kira.

"Stiles and Kira said that it was the Nemeton that kept him trapped," Scott said to him as they settled around the operating table.

But Deaton shook his head. "The problem is that this isn't even a person you're fighting. It's just _looks_ like one. It's a spirit that's taken the shape of a human."

"The shape of my best friend," said Scott.

"Someone caught it once," Lydia threw in. "Someone can do it again, right?"

"I don't know," Deaton told them. "This thing was trapped a long time ago, before the Nemeton was cut down, it doesn't have the same power anymore."

"Is there anything that does?" Scott quickly asked. This was their last chance and they had to move fast. From what Kira told him, Stiles was starting to look worse. He might not have much time. He just lost Allison, he won't lose Stiles too.

Deaton took a moment before he gave a slight nod. "Possibly. See, when the tree was whole, its wood was sometimes used to contain powerful objects but those objects are very rare."

Lydia eyes widened. "Wait a second, powerful objects? Like an Alpha's claws?"

"Which Alpha?"

"Talia Hale," she said making both Deaton and Scott stiffen as they looked at her. "Peter had them in this wooden box with a triskele carved in the lid. What if it was made from the Nemeton?"

"It was."

"How do you know?" Scott asked him.

Deaton looked straight at him. "Because I made it."

"So…it would have the Nemeton's old powers? It could be used to trap the Nogitsune again."

"But it would have to be expelled first," Deaton told them.

Scott remembered Noshiko's story. "The sword," he mumbled a bit before he caught Deaton's eye. "Kira's mother used the sword to expel the Nogitsune. That and the claws from bitten werewolf she was with."

"But didn't that also kill Rhys?" Lydia asked.

Scott nodded. "But she wasn't an Alpha."

Scott didn't see any other choice. If it meant saving Stiles' life, then he would give him the bite, again. He knew that Stiles wanted to go back now…it made it easier. There was a risk for people getting the bite but he already knew that Stiles did turn once, why shouldn't it work for him again? Scott was starting to feel hope again. Lydia seemed to be easing up as well. But the look on Deaton's face was anything but hopeful. He still looked like he had serious doubt and that made Lydia's eyes drop a bit.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Stiles already has a wolf that he was tethered to. Biting him won't create another. From what I understand by what the Nogitsune said, he simply cut Stiles off from it."

Lydia's eyes widened. "I saw it. When we were in Stiles' mind, I found this large, bolted and chained up steel door. Inside, I saw a giant wolf though it was tied up and shackled and had spikes and thorns cutting into it. It looked like it was barely able to move or breathe."

"Then there isn't much time left though it does give weight to something I've had in my mind about Stiles for a while."

"What?" Scott asked him.

"I've had a theory about Stiles which only became stronger when I learned that he was evolving into a Beast and I believe it's time that I share with you. Tell me, do you know what The Bell Curve is?" he asked them.

Scott narrowed his eyes as that was lost to him but unsurprisingly, Lydia nodded.

"It's a mathematical scale. It could be used to predict the values and averages of anything," she answered.

"Yes." Deaton then went and pulled out a pencil and a notepad where he went and drew what seemed to be a picture of a hill. "It would look like this," he explained to Scott.

Lydia then pointed around the area of the peak. "Here's where the greatest and most common outcome is. The sides would have the less likely and rarest of outcomes would be at the edges. The more negative results are at the left and the more positive results at the right."

Deaton nodded. "Exactly."

Scott sort of understood but couldn't see the point. "What does this have to do with Stiles?" he asked.

"Let's imagine that this is the scale for how people would take to getting bitten by an Alpha." He then pointed around the peak of the hill. "This is where a great majority of people are, where the bite would turn them into a normal beta much like Isaac, Erica and Boyd when Derek bit them." He then pointed to the left side of the diagram, by the edge. "This would be lesser majority of people that would die from the bite as they aren't suited for it."

"Like Paige," said Scott remembering Derek's past.

Deaton nodded. "It would also be where those that are bitten don't become betas but end up as Omegas, much like the twins were. Now here," he said pointing to the point at the edge. "You could say that Jackson was here. At the rare point where the bite turned him into something else instead of a werewolf."

Scott nodded. He was understanding this a lot better now and something was telling him that he wouldn't like where this conversation was going to end up. "What about the other side?"

Deaton went and pointed to the diagram's right side, by the edge. "Here would be the lesser majority of people that become more gifted than the average beta when they're turned. If they're more stronger, faster, or in the most extreme of cases," he said as he moved down as close to the edge as possible without actually getting there. "Able to advance and become a True Alpha."

"Like me," Scott mumbled as he looked at the place on the graph where he was.

Deaton stared at him for a moment. "Yes," he said to him. "At first, given how quickly Stiles gained control of his abilities, I thought he was in this area as well."

"But he's not," Lydia mumbled as she tapped at the right edge. "He's there, isn't he?"

"Yes. Where he managed to take to the bite to the precipice of a Beast. But, therein lies our current predicament."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "How is that bad for Stiles?"

"Basically, Stiles is one who is tailor made for the Supernatural. Even back when he was still a normal human, he had interest in things that had a connection to the Supernatural, even if he wasn't consciously aware of it such as knowing about the Hale Fire case. He was drawn towards the Supernatural, it's as if he was-"

"Born for this," Scott mumbled, cutting in. Those were the words that Peter had described Stiles taking to becoming a werewolf. It was Stiles that had brought the two of them to the preserve that night to begin with. Stiles had heard about the body from listening to his dad's calls. Of all the times that he did, it was _that_ call that he went out for. And ever since they became werewolves, Stiles had thrown himself into it, learning all he could. The last year, Scott had never seen Stiles be so excited and sure of himself, almost like…he had come home.

"That's why he wanted to go back so much," Lydia said almost to herself. "He didn't just lose his powers, he lost himself. And the wolf inside him did too. They need each other but don't have each other anymore and that's why they're both so weak."

Deaton nodded. "The Nogitsune severed their connection to make them vulnerable and then later used and siphoned off Kira's foxfire at the substation to help seal the wolf and then drain both it and Stiles of their strength to add it to his own. Perverting his unique qualities to reach the precipice of a kitsune's power. It's all been gathered and locked within that new body that he's gotten for himself. If it's exorcised like before, it all will stay inside that body and not go back. Just like the energy from when it last was loose stayed in the host body when Noshiko and Satomi exorcised it." Deaton knew that the body still had the power as it sealed up in Eichen House which helped give it its morose reputation even compared to other similar facilities.

Scott looked at the bell curve and realized what Deaton was trying hard not to tell him outright. "He'll die if he doesn't get it back," Scott breathed as he looked unblinkingly at Deaton. "Won't he?"

Deaton just dropped his gaze as he couldn't find it in himself to keep making eye contact.

"So how do we exorcise the Nogitsune and have Stiles take back everything it took from him?" Lydia asked.

Deaton huffed and moved his eyes about before they fell on the Shugendo Scroll. "I think I have an idea, though, it may to be a longshot."

"What?" Scott quickly asked.

* * *

Isaac was sitting in Allison's room, running his hands over one of her ring daggers. As he did, her final moments with Scott kept playing in his mind over and over like on a loop. He was discovered by Chris who had been packing some stuff.

"Careful," he said as he went over to him. "That one takes some practice." Isaac quietly handed it over to him and Chris let a sad smile come over him as he held the weapon in his hand. "When Allison was learning she had to bandage her fingers because they got so raw. Wouldn't give up on it though."

"She said something," Isaac mumbled.

"What's that?" Chris asked.

"She said something about you. To Scott. She said…you have to tell him. You have to tell my father. She didn't get a chance to finish but I'm sure she wanted to say that she loved you because she also mentioned Stiles not having to do something."

Chris sat next to Isaac as he let his words get to him. Allison's last words. He could feel some tears start to push their way through but he shook it off, like he had been trained to do. "It's okay," he coughed out. "She…she already made a point of telling me earlier."

"Earlier?" Isaac asked him.

"It was a tradition, that we have."

"The Silver Bullet?" Isaac had heard about that. Allison had told all of them about what happens when hunters complete their training they then forge silver bullets.

"She was making a silver arrowhead," he told Isaac a little emotionally as he went to stand up and leaving the ring dagger behind and preparing to leave to walk off his grief.

"Where is it?" Isaac asked, stopping him. "The arrowhead?"

"At our lockup."

"Take me there." Isaac then stood up himself. "I need to see it." Isaac then moved to leave the room.

"Why?"

Isaac stopped and looked back at him. "Because I have a feeling it isn't there."

* * *

Agent Raphael McCall was leaving the morgue after he got the Coroner's Report on Allison Argent. He instructed for a man to stand guard outside in case her father Chris Argent came around. He was right now reading the witness report sent to him from Scott, Isaac and Lydia's testimonies. It wasn't much, which he understood, but something was telling him that wasn't a simple case of a carjacking gone wrong. Given what's been happened with the Argents recently, he would be foolish to think this wasn't connected to all of that somehow. But, he also knew that he wouldn't be likely to find any answers from anybody, especially his son, given how their last talk went. He bumped into Melissa on his way out.

"We need to talk," he said to her. She slowed down in her pace and he walked with her. "I'm heading back."

"Back?" she asked.

"To the Bureau in San Francisco." He saw Melissa roll her eyes. "Look it's clear that Scott and I will never see eye to eye, and now with what's happened to Allison, I'm probably the last person he wants to see. After everything that's happened, I'm thinking that maybe it's best for everyone if I just left. I was hoping you could tell Scott that I'm sorry. It might be better if it came from you."

The lights flickered suddenly which made them freeze for a moment before they kept on moving on.

"So, you want me to tell Scott that his dad went back to San Francisco, says he's sorry, but didn't have time to say goodbye?" she asked incredulously.

"Right," he mumbled as they stopped at the elevator. "I'll send a follow up e-mail or something."

That only made Melissa give him a hard, annoyed look. "You're an idiot."

He sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Seriously?" she said to him before she headed into the elevator when it opened. He followed after her. "Raph, you said that you want a relationship with your son, then you can't just give up and bail after one fight."

He kept his eyes on his reflection on the door. "Well, it's been more than one fight, and he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, he just wants you to try harder. To not give up on him so easily." She personally knew how it was to be in a bad place with Scott. It took time and wasn't easy but they managed to get through it and actually were closer than she could've ever thought possible. But his father seemed ready to just quit and run without any effort. But the atmosphere changed when the lights went out and the elevator suddenly stopped. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he said as he went for his gun.

Suddenly the doors opened and the two of them found themselves in chaos. There was the sounds of screaming and the sight of bodies on the floor. Both of them widened their eyes when they caught sight of the Oni cutting at a nurse with their swords. They both instantly recognized them from though only Melissa truly knew the danger they were in right now. The Oni then charged for them.

"Get back," Raphael said pushing her out of the way as one of the Oni attacked. He opened fire on them both as he moved to shut the elevator doors. The bullets didn't drop them but it made them take a few steps back and bought time for the doors to close and block their path to them. He then turned around and his eyes widened. "Melissa?" She had a deep cut on her leg. When the Oni had attacked, it had managed to hit her with its sword. Now, Melissa was finding it hard to move. He bent down to try and help stop the bleeding but saw that there was some kind of dark smoke oozing out of the cut. "What is that?"

Melissa shook her head. She knew what that likely was but she couldn't tell Raphael this now. "It's poison," she explained away. "It hurts like hell." He then ripped up some fabric and moved to tie in around the wound. "Be careful," she cried as she felt a fresh wave of pain.

The elevator seemed to have power again and started to move.

"We have to get you out of here."

"Go where? There's nowhere to go from here."

Raphael then moved to have the elevator get to the operating floor to find a doctor that could help. Surely the upper floors would've been secured by now. But when the doors opened he saw that there were even more bodies spread on the ground. Doctors, nurses, patients and even armed security were scattered everywhere. "I'll be right back," he whispered to Melissa.

He stepped out of the elevator and drew his gun. He heard someone crying and moved to peek around the corner of a hallway to see a doctor trying to run but getting cut at his back and then falling face first to the floor by the Oni. He ducked back when he saw them turning around. The Oni were looking in the direction of that intersection before they started marching their way there, with their swords ready. They got there and looked around but found no one around. Raphael was standing inside one of the dark rooms, trying to be silent. He peeked at them through the door's window just as the door to the hospital's stairs opened. Raphael widened his eyes to see that it was Stiles and the two started to walk over to him. He was about to open the door and try to warn him when he saw Stiles just smile at the two, and then look out happily at all the chaos that was surrounding him. He then nodded to the two before some black smoke started to fill the halls, cutting them off from view. Raphael opened the door and moved out into the hallway just as the black smoke vanished. He held his gun up but there was now no sign of the Oni or Stiles.

"What the hell is going on?" he mumbled. Raphael was now more confused than ever.

* * *

Scott got off the phone. "Derek has the triskele box. He's bringing the twins to come and meet us."

Lydia then found herself feeling lightheaded and almost fainted but Scott quickly caught her.

"What's wrong?" Deaton quickly asked her.

Lydia straightened herself up. "Something's happening. I…suddenly had this rushing feeling. Like we're running out of time."

"Yeah." The three of them turned to see that Stiles was there as he was being supported a bit by Kira. "But I've got more than just a feeling."

"He called Stiles," Kira said to them. "He wants to meet."

Scott's face widened. "What?"

* * *

Chris brought Isaac to the lockup and showed him the workstation that Allison had been in. There was a folded cloth left on the table and he opened it up to reveal four silver arrowheads.

"Why would she make four of them?" Chris asked.

"She didn't," Isaac said. "She made five. She made the first one and then figured it out. She used the first silver arrowhead to kill the Oni. We saw her do it. She figured it out, and that's why the Nogitsune killed her, to make sure she couldn't tell us." Isaac remembered all their reactions when she destroyed the Oni. They were all shocked, but the Nogitsune…it looked a bit scared and he quickly moved to grab the sword and throw it at Allison.

"How?" Chris asked. "How did she figure it out?"

"Because you almost did it yourself. Do you remember what you told us about one of your first gun deals with the Yakuza?"

"That meeting wasn't one of my first deals, it was my first." He remembered telling Allison that he used all the bullets he made.

"The bullet that you used against the Oni, was that a silver bullet?" Isaac asked him.

"Yes. But, it only broke its mask. The bullet went through it."

"It probably went straight through. What if silver is like a poison to them. What if it needs to stay in the body?"

"Like wolfsbane needs to stay in a werewolf's body."

"To kill them," Isaac finished for him. "What if that's what she was trying to tell Scott to tell you? That she figured it out."

Chris then felt the four arrowheads. "These were still setting when she went off to meet Scott."

"We can stop them," Isaac realized.

Chris narrowed his eyes as he lifted one to his eye level. "No, we can kill them."

* * *

The Sheriff was barely able to pull himself to sit up. His whole body felt like it was on fire but and every square inch of him was brimming with pain. A shape then went and slammed against the desk across from him and he quickly lifted his gun but saw that it was just Parrish. He was deeply wounded at his side and was breathing a little quickly.

"What happened?" the Sheriff asked him.

"They left," Parrish panted out. "They just, left. Why would they let us live?" the deputy asked him as he squinted in pain.

They then looked about and saw that everyone else looked just like they were. Their faces were tight as they fought through intense pain as they were all wounded. The Sheriff looked closer at his wound to see that the area where he was bleeding was black. There was even faint traces of black smoke oozing out of it.

"I'm not so sure they did," he breathed out.

This had to be another 'move' from the Nogitsune. Stiles had told him that it targeted people for a reason. The Oni were sent here, for a reason. And something told him that the reason had something to do heavily with his son. First, it used Stiles' mother's illness to get to him. Now, it was using his life against Stiles now. He just hoped that his son didn't fall for whatever the Nogitsune was setting him up for.

* * *

Stiles had been too weak to drive to the Animal Clinic so Kira had to and this time Scott was behind the wheel as they pulled up to the school. Stiles tried to get out but quickly lost his balance and moved to grab onto the nearby railing before he could fall. Lydia then moved to lift him up and help him to the doors as Scott and Kira moved on ahead to watch for any sign of the Nogitsune. Even though they wanted to find him, the fact that it was the Nogitsune who set this up, it was clearly some kind of trap. Though, nothing seemed to happen by the time they got to the front door.

"Wait, Scott hold on," Stiles said stopping them. "Look, we all know that there is a chance that this might kill me too. But, even if it looks like it definitely will, you still have to go through with it. Stick with the plan, no matter what."

"The plan is to save you," Scott said sternly to him. "That's the plan I'm going with."

Stiles sighed. For some reason, that only made him more nervous. He knew that Scott would never quit in trying to save the one he was set on saving, and he knew that the Nogitsune knew it too. He basically verified that when he called him earlier. What if that was what he was counting on?

Scott then pushed the doors open and they walked on in. However, what they walked into wasn't the school hallway. It looked more like a Japanese Zen garden, and it was snowing. As soon as they all walked on in, the doors closed shut behind them.

"Well, this is definitely not part of the plan," Stiles muttered.


	23. The Divine Move part 2

Chapter 23: The Divine Move part 2

Raphael McCall quickly made his way back for Melissa to see that her leg was still bleeding heavily from where she had been cut. He had called 911 but the dispatch wasn't answering. He couldn't understand why not. Surely, someone must've called the police about what was happening here but there was no help coming for anyone in this building. He moved the elevator to take them to the ground floor and then called Stilinski but got his voicemail.

"It's me again. I'm getting nothing from dispatch. No one's on the line and we need help down at the hospital. And…I think we need to have a talk about your son. Call me as soon as you get this Stilinski." He then hung up and saw Melissa starting to twist and turn so he moved to sit her up. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Call Scott," she said to him. "You have to call Scott."

"You're going to be okay."

Melissa stared at him. He probably thought that she wanted to talk to Scott because she wanted to say goodbye. "That's not what I mean," she told him.

"Melissa, you're going to be fine," he told her. "Okay, I'm going to get you out of here."

He moved to try and lift her but he pulled away a bit. "Raph, listen to me, if anything happens then you have to work it out with Scott."

He didn't want Melissa to talk like that. "You're going to be fine."

"Promise me," she said sternly to him.

He sighed. "I already tried."

"Then try again."

"I tried apologizing," he told her. He didn't think that doing it again would help any.

Melissa smirked. "This teenage boy doesn't care about apologies. He wants you to do better, but he also wants you to suffer a little though," she added as an amusing afterthought before getting serious again. "Promise me that you'll make it work."

He stared at her for a moment before he found himself nodding. The elevator then reached the floor and he got out to find that the lobby area was just like the rest of the hospital though there were already a few unhurt doctors and nurses trying to tend to the people that were injured. The people seemed to be in the same state as Melissa was. It looked like none of them would have much time.

* * *

Derek, Aiden and Ethan were walking along the outside of the school as Scott had told them they were heading for the inside. In his hands, Derek had the triskele box. They reached the courtyard when they found Stiles sitting off calmly. But they knew that this couldn't be Stiles. The way he was dressed and carrying himself was not at all like the Stiles they knew. Two Oni then appeared behind him with their swords out and ready.

"Did you bring us a present?" Void Stiles mockingly asked.

"I brought two," he said as the twins stopped at either side of him.

Derek then went and put the box on the ground in front of him but Void just scoffed at the sight of it and at the sight of the three in their shifted faces when they came into the light. "You know, I've heard of an Alpha Pack Derek but not a pack of former alphas. It's actually a little sad."

The three of them slowly advanced for him.

"I might not be an Alpha anymore, but I can still fight like one."

Derek and the twins roared at him just as the Oni swung their swords and they moved in for attack. Void rose his hands and conjured some of his foxfire and then calmly threw it for the three. Derek jumped forward to avoid it while the twins threw themselves to opposite sides as the electric ball impacted the spot where they had been standing leaving a scorch mark and lingering sparks. Ethan and Aiden then stood up to find that there was an Oni facing each one of them and then moved to claw at them. Derek stood up and found that Void was calmly walking for him.

"I hope you can put up a better fight than Scott."

Derek bared out his fangs. "I'm going to rip you apart, with my teeth."

Void let a grin come upon him. "Always the sourwolf."

At the sound of Stiles' old nickname for him, he charged for the guy.

* * *

The snow was falling down even harder as they looked around this garden. Scott distantly remembered that Argent told him that the first time he saw the Oni and a Nogitsune was in Japan in a place like this. They then heard a thumping sound, footsteps heading towards them. They looked and saw the old bandaged form of the Nogitsune stepping out of the shadows. They moved to face it down as it stomped closer.

"Like I promised Stiles, we're going to kill all of them," it called out making Stiles tense up and glare at him. "One by One!"

Just then, an Oni appeared and Kira just managed to block its attack with her sword. She then stepped back and they looked around to see that the other Oni were approaching and had surrounded them.

"What the hell is this? Where are we?" Scott demanded.

"Between life and death," the Nogitsune told them.

Lydia realized what that meant. "Bardo."

The Nogitsune moved its silver teeth into a grin. "Yes, but there are no peaceful deities here Lydia." He then looked at Stiles. "You're dying Stiles. You and the wolf." Scott gave Stiles a look to see that his friend seemed to be trying hard to stay composed but his legs were shaking a bit like they were barely able to support him standing. "Now, everyone you care about is dying too."

Stiles lost his composure and widened his eyes. Lydia moved to hold onto him but he kept his gaze on the Nogitsune. "What? What do you mean?" he quickly asked.

"I captured almost all the territories on the board Stiles. The hospital. The Sheriff's station." He then looked over at Scott. "And now, the Animal Clinic."

Scott's eyes widened. "Deaton," he mumbled.

And at this moment, Deaton was backing away as two Oni were closing in on him like a lion stalking its prey. He tried to fight them off but they quickly struck at him with their swords, wounding him like all the others. They then disappeared, leaving him to die like the others.

The Nogitsune smiled at Scott before looking back over at Stiles. "Do you know the ritual of Seppuku Stiles?"

"No, and I don't want to," Stiles said to him.

The Nogitsune stepped closer for him. "A samurai disembowels himself with his own sword," he said looking over at Kira for a moment. "To retain his honor but that's not the cut that kills you. The killing stroke is made by his Kaishakunin who beheads the samurai with his own katana. Scott," he said pointing to him. "Scott is your Kaishakunin." Scott shook his head as they understood what the Nogitsune was saying even before he said it outright. "I'm going to make your best friend kill you Stiles, and you're going to let him." Stiles stared hard at him. "You are going to let Scott kill you because you know that everyone else is going to die. Everyone touched by an Oni's blade. Your father, his mother, Deaton, all your father's deputies and the people at the hospital will die, unless," he said pointing his gauzed finger right at Stiles' face. "Scott kills you first."

Scott, Lydia and Kira were all staring horrified at the Nogitsune but Stiles was angry.

"Why?" he spat at him. "Why are you doing this?"

"To win the game. I've already won, I told you that Stiles. Check. Now, it's your final move. Make it, right now, and then…Checkmate," it growled at him.

"No!" Scott roared out as he went for the Nogitsune.

He just narrowly avoided being cut by a swipe from a sword and suddenly, he and Kira went into a full on fight against the Oni while Lydia pulled herself and Stiles away.

* * *

At the station, the Sheriff was trying to keep himself awake but he saw that Parrish was starting to nod off.

"Parrish, stay awake," he said to the young man. But Parrish's eyes were still slowly shutting. "Deputy!" he shouted at him.

Parrish then straightened himself up and blinked his eyes. He then went to lift his shirt and saw that the skin around his wound was starting to go black. "What is this?" he grunted. "Is it poison?"

The Sheriff had a feeling it was something a bit more complicated than that. "Whatever it is, it's working fast." He could feel the urge to close his eyes and rest becoming stronger. "Stiles," he mumbled to himself. "Please son," he said looking out and catching the dim moonlight shining outside. "Come back."

* * *

At the hospital, Melissa was helped onto a gurney but there were no doctors around that could help her. Raphael was standing by her side, holding onto her hand.

She squeezed back and caught his eye. "Don't leave him again," she weakly told him. "Promise me."

He shook his head. "You told me to leave," he reminded her.

"I told a drunk to get out of the house. I didn't tell his father to get out of his life. You came back to make it up to him, right?"

He narrowed his eyes down at her. "I came back to make it up to both of you." Melissa just looked at him for a moment before her eyes started to close and his eyes widened when he saw blood starting to gather in her lips. Her head then bobbed to the right and it started to lightly pour out of her mouth. Raphael quickly flagged one of the nearby nurses. "There's blood running out of her lips, what does it mean?" But the nurse just gave him a look before running off. "What does it mean?!" he yelled after him.

He didn't know that there was blood gathering from most of the people around him on the upper floors of the hospital, to the deputies and Sheriff Stilinski at the station, to Deaton at the Animal Clinic.

* * *

Aiden tried to claw the Oni he was fighting but it jumped and flipped to avoid it. It twirled his sword at him before it swiped at him. Aiden backed away before he broke into a run. The Oni chased him as he ran for a wall. Aiden jumped and kicked off it to avoid a long sword swipe before landing behind the demon and then clawing it at its back sending it to crash face first into the wall.

Ethan was holding the Oni's wrist that was grasping the sword but the Oni was pushing against his hold hard. Ethan then moved to headbutt the demon but it didn't seem to faze it as it just tilted its head and hissed at him. Ethan grit his teeth before he went and sent a hard punch at its chest instead which made it tumble back a few steps. The Oni then moved to swipe at him but Ethan quickly jumped to the side and quickly clawed at the back of its leg making it lose its footing and fall to the ground.

Derek wasn't faring as well as he fought Void Stiles. He hadn't been able to land a solid hit. Every punch and swipe of his claws was either avoided or blocked. Void then sent a punch to Derek's chest that made him slide back a bit.

Void smirked at him. "Can still fight like you were an Alpha huh?" he said as Derek shook off the blow. "Guess you forgot that you weren't a very good one. At least Scott managed to get some hits on me."

Derek shook off the hit as he took a deep calming breath. "You know, I should probably thank you."

That made Void's face actually soften and raise his eyebrows up. "Thank me?" he asked.

"Stiles…for a while now, I've been fighting with wanting to save him or tear him apart. Now, thanks to you, I have one to save and one to tear apart."

Void now actually looked confused. "Okay, I know you find him annoying but even I have to think you're taking it a little too far." Derek howled as he tried to claw at his face but he quickly caught his hand with his own. Derek then moved to claw him with his other but Void caught it too. Their palms flat against each other and Derek tried to squeeze as hard as he could and drive his clawed nails into his knuckles but Void squeezed back harder, making him flinch. Void was just still staring at him, the same as before, as if he hadn't just tried to claw his face off. But then his eyes widened. "Oh, now I see. He guessed you might still be a little peeved about kissing your sister goodbye when you left but, you actually found out about his and Cora's _wild_ night." That made the blue in Derek's eyes flare brighter at him as he glared through his pain. Void smiled smugly at him. "Yeah, Cora was in pain and Stiles was there to take some away like he always does, though, he had a lot more fun that time around. Well, more than one time that night though Cora certainly didn't complain," he snorted in amusement before it grew into a laugh. That made Derek let some growls loose from his throat as he tried to push himself forward. Void sensed what Derek was going to try to do and he then let some electricity flow from his palms into Derek's which stiffened him. The electricity flowed into his body and made his insides start to burn which made his growling turn to pained screaming. "I am curious though, how did you find out? I mean, I know that Stiles didn't tell you and I doubt that Cora would've said anything so how could-" But then Void stopped, both talking and running electricity into him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Oh my god," he said before he let a small laugh loose.

Derek took advantage of the break in pain and then pulled himself free from his grip. When he did, Void snapped himself out of his amusement and quickly sent a hard punch across Derek's jaw.

Ethan managed to kick away the Oni he was fighting but it was slowly starting to get back on its feet. He saw that the three of them wouldn't be able to handle the Nogitsune and the Oni off for long by themselves. "Where the hell are they?"

"The jeep is here!" Derek told them as he spat out some blood stuck in his mouth. "They have to be in the school!" He tried to throw a punch at Void but caught it with his palm before he then moved to grip his wrist and twist his arm. Derek howled out in pain before fighting through it to look back over at them. "The box! We have to get them the box!" Derek was then grabbed and flipped up into the air before Void moved to place his other palm to Derek's chest and then slammed him straight down so that he hit the ground back first. The impact made some cracks on the concrete.

Ethan saw that Aiden was closest to the box so he charged at the Oni that was fighting him. "Get it," he spat as he tried to claw at the thing.

Aiden panted a bit before he turned an tried to head for it but then stopped as two black puffs of smoke appeared in front of it before they took the shape of two more Oni. His blue eyes burned brighter at the sight of them. "I hate ninjas," Aiden spat out. He tried move passed them for the box but they struck at him from behind. Over where Ethan was fighting the one that he took over from his brother, it struck its sword right at his arm. He then looked over to where Derek was on the ground and saw Void give him a hard kick that made him slide down a couple of feet where he started to roll a bit in pain. "We can't do this! We can't beat them!" he cried. They were getting overwhelmed and the Nogitsune and the Oni were just too much for them to handle.

Void then turned and smirked over at him. "Bout time you figured that out."

"We have to get the box to them," Ethan roared out to his brother.

Void looked over at Ethan before he opened his palm and let foxfire appear in it before he threw it over in his direction. Ethan barely jumped out of the way as it hit the spot where he had been standing but he found himself now on the floor in front of an Oni. It raised its sword, preparing to take Ethan's head, when there was a whip of wind and an arrow was stuck in its chest. The Oni moved to pull the arrow out but it then combusted and exploded in golden light. Everyone looked up to see where it had come from and found that it was Argent, with a crossbow in his arms.

Derek pushed himself to his feet as he face softened in shock. "The hell?"

"What was that?" Ethan cried out.

"Silver," Chris told them.

Void narrowed his eyes at him. "Oh, like daughter like father." He then went and conjured another ball of foxfire but from the stairs over him hopped Isaac who went and tackled the fox.

The ball of foxfire flew off and just narrowly missed hitting the hunter as it hit the bannister by him instead. The exploding sparks did make him duck down as some grazed his face and made one of his arrows fall off the railing and land on the ground with a thud. The other three Oni moved to continue their assault on the twins but Derek moved to face off against one of them to now even the odds.

Isaac was trying to pin Void down but he quickly went and threw Isaac off him. Isaac stood up to face him with his face fully shifted with a low growl seeping out from his throat. "I'm going to tear you apart," he spat at the fox.

Void said as he made a show of dusting himself up as he smirked back at him. Isaac's gold eyes flared at him before he charged, baring his claws. But Void brought out his hands and caught Isaac by both of his wrists. Void was staring right at him, completely at ease while Isaac struggled and tried pulling his hands free from his grip. "You were really falling for her, weren't you?" He then squeezed even harder on the boy's wrists making him gasp in pain and making him shift back to normal. "It's too bad, that in her final moments, you had to learn that you were just a placeholder. Only meant to keep her warm for who she truly wanted. Scott, your chosen Alpha. Wow, that has to really hurt," he chuckled as he went and put even more pressure on where he was gripping Isaac making his face tighten up. "It's a shame, you probably should've listened to Stiles. He did try to warn you that it wouldn't end well and it turned out that he was right, wasn't he?"

"Shut up," Isaac spat out.

Void just tilted his head at him before he pulled him into his raising knee. It collided with Isaac's stomach and made him bend over in pain. Void then bent down to have his head level with his. "Poor pitiful Isaac," he said to him before he sent a hard punch to the side of his face that sent him to the floor. Isaac grunted out lowly as he rolled until his back was square on the ground. He then looked up as Void stood over him. "Never good enough but then again that's nothing new, right? Not for his father. Not for Derek. Not for Allison." He then raised his right hand up and let his palm open as he conjured up an orb of his foxfire. "Not even for himself."

* * *

Lydia took a moment to think that at this time, one year ago, she thought the strangest thing possible was her wanting to actually borrow one of her mother's outfits. Now, here she was, a banshee with a former werewolf getting his life sucked out of him by a dark spirit as they watched Japanese demons try and cut down a werewolf and a sword wielding kitsune in a place between life and death. "This can't be real," she gasped at it all.

"Yeah, tell that to them," Stiles slurred out.

The Oni's strikes kept narrowly being avoided by Scott and Kira but they couldn't find a way to get to the Nogitsune who was off to the side watching in amusement while Lydia and Stiles watched in fear. As they fought, it seemed as if the Oni were now even faster and stronger. No matter what Scott or Kira did, they couldn't land one blow and it was all they took just to avoid getting struck. Scott and Kira broke away until they were back to back.

"How is this even happening? What is this place?!" Scott gasped.

"You're asking me?! A month ago I never even touched a sword!"

The Oni then moved to go at them again and Scott and Kira were again trying to block and push away each of their attacks. Kira managed to meet one of their swords but the Oni's pressure against her was getting stronger and it caused her to lose her grip and her sword went flying out of her hands. She then stepped lightly back as the swords were pointed right toward her neck. Scott noticed but his way was blocked by the other two Oni.

"Stiles!"

It was Lydia who cried that out as Stiles had broken away from her and went over for Kira's dropped sword. He then held it in his hands and was directing the blade towards himself. Lydia's cry made everyone stop and look over at him.

When he saw that Kira was in trouble, he just reacted. Already, one person that everyone around him cared about was gone. Allison's blood was on him and he didn't want anymore. Scott may want to save him but this wasn't just about him now. There were countless people out there that were dying, his own father included. "This has to stop," he mumbled as he tightened his hold on the sword's hilt.

"Stiles, no!" Scott yelled at him. "Stop!"

Stiles looked from the sword in his hand to Scott. "What if it saves you? What if it saves everyone?"

"What if it's just another of his tricks!" Lydia screamed frightfully at him.

"No more tricks Lydia," the Nogitsune mumbled at them. "Stiles is doing what you want. What you know you can't do Scott. He is going to save everyone. You already lost one tonight. Would you like to lose the rest? Your mother? His father? Deaton? All your friends? No? Then…end it Scott. Make your friend fall on his own sword. Be his Kaishakunin and maintain his honor. Give up the game!"

Stiles' gaze went from Scott back to the sword. Stiles remembered all those faces from back inside his mind. All those people who they failed and let die because they were either too late or unwilling to do what they had to in order to keep them safe. Stiles didn't want to add even more. He steadied his shaking hand and took a deep breath as he moved to catch his own reflection of the blade. However, he caught the sight of something else. It was the reflection of a book. He looked over and spotted it, along with a snow covered desk and chair. What were they doing there? He looked back at the sword and also realized that the snow wasn't being reflected back. Nothing about this place was reflecting back.

"You have no moves left," The nogitsune quickly spoke out.

Noshiko's words from earlier started to echo in Stiles' mind. He was a threat to the Nogitsune and that's why he kept trying to break him. He was doing all of this to try and break him, again. The Nogitsune had tried to get his friends to repeat their same moves before which kept moving them to right where he wanted them. And the Nogitsune was repeating the same move of dangling innocent lives in his face to keep him where he wanted. To always be ready to surrender to him, first at the hospital and then at Eichen, and now he wanted it again here. Noshiko told him not to surrender to him. He was going to follow her advice and rise over him. Beat him at his own game.

"You're wrong," Stiles then lowered the sword down and he faced the Nogitsune. "I do still have a move. You might be able to beat me at my game, chess. But that's the thing…we aren't playing my game. We're playing yours, Go. And there is still a move left for me to play and beat you," he told him before he went and threw Kira her sword back. "A Divine Move."

The Nogitsune growled heatedly at him but Scott was looking at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Scott gasped at him.

"This…its not real! You have to stop fighting them! It's all an illusion!"

"An illusion?" the Nogitsune spurred out humorously. "Are you sure about that? Sure that you're not just afraid of dying Stiles?"

"I'm sure…after all, why aren't you showing my face?" Stiles said as he glared at him. "Unless you're the one that's afraid." If Kira's sword was revealing that the place wasn't real, then that had to mean the Oni weren't real either. If he really won the game like he claimed he did, why bother with tricks? He could've just handled them at the school like he did back at Oak Creek. Unless his supposed victory was the trick. And it was one that he wouldn't fall for again. He looked back over at Scott. "You have to trust me Scott. Nothing here is real. This place, the Oni…even him, it's all in our heads. It looks real, feels real but Scott it's not. You have to trust me, it's a trick."

Scott's eyes moved from Stiles to the Nogitsune who had the Oni stand guard in front of him. Stiles had been really willing to do it before. Kill himself to try and save everyone, but he didn't. That was all the proof he needed. He began to move for the Nogitsune just as one of the Oni moved and struck at him. There was great pain from the hit, but Scott bared it. Stiles said it would feel real but it wasn't. He was trusting him. He kept moving even as the Oni kept attacking him, and then attacked Kira. Both of them kept getting cut by swords, screaming in pain but they kept moving. As Scott stepped closer, he saw that the Nogitsune was shaking, not in anger, but in fear. That made Scott forget all about the pain and just charge for him, pushing him through the doors that they entered the garden through.

* * *

Void was standing over Isaac, ready to throw the foxfire and put him out of his misery, when he gasped suddenly as his insides froze. Isaac narrowed his eyes at his reaction as Void looked over towards the direction of the school. Isaac then brought his knees in and thrust them forward sending his feet to slam right into his chest and sending him flying off towards the steps. Void quickly pulled himself to his feet and he ran off for the school.

"He's running for the school!" Isaac shouted to the others.

Derek slammed an Oni by the chest and sent it flying. "It's Scott and the others!" he roared at him. "He's going for them. They need the box! Where is it?!"

Ethan quickly ducked from a Oni trying to take his head off and jumped over for the triskele box. He managed to grab it and rolled a bit before he got back to his feet. "Catch!" He then threw the box into the air, for Isaac.

Isaac ran off and managed to catch it in his arms. "I got it!"

"Get it to Scott!" Derek cried at him just as he blocked a hit from an Oni and then moved to grab it from behind. That made Isaac run off for the school.

Ethan was so distracted by the sight of Isaac running with the box he threw him that he didn't see the Oni running for him with its sword thrust forward.

"Ethan!"

That was all he heard before he felt something hit him.

Ethan hit the ground and rolled a bit before he stopped and lifted his head to look over at what had pushed him aside, or rather who.

"Aiden!" he cried.

Aiden had seen the Oni running for his brother and just reacted. He pushed his brother out of the way just before he could be struck by the sword and gotten it stuck square in his stomach.

Argent had managed to recover from the hit of the foxfire as he went to load his arrow. He then quickly aimed it for the Oni that stabbed Aiden and fired for its head. The arrow however didn't make it as the Oni caught it with its free hand. It screeched over in Argent's direction as he angrily grit his teeth at it. The sound of its screech snapped Aiden out of his pained stupor as he moved over and grabbed at the arrow. He snapped the front end off from where the Oni was holding it and jammed it into its throat. The Oni let go of both the sword and the arrow end it was holding and tried to reach for the arrow. It just managed to grasp it as it was then destroyed right in front of Aiden. Argent then quickly loaded his last arrow and shot it at the one that Derek had bound. It got right to its chest and it disappeared in a puff of light and smoke.

Aiden was staring at the sword for a moment before he began pulling it out. He had just managed to fully remove it when his legs started giving out. Ethan quickly ran to catch his brother before he fall hard onto the cement.

* * *

Scott, Kira, Stiles and Lydia then found themselves in the school hallway as they pushed their way through a set of double doors.

Scott quickly looked himself and Kira over to see that they didn't have any of the wounds from the Oni. Stiles was right. It was an illusion. "We're okay," he gasped in relief. "We're-

But he didn't get further than that as he was quickly hurled into the lockers. Kira turned around to find Void there. He rose his eyebrows in greeting just before sending a hard back slap across her face that sent her to the floor.

"This was my game," Void muttered as he turned to look over at Stiles. "You really think you could beat me at my game?" He then brought his hand out and had sparks quickly fire off until they formed his ball of foxfire. That made both Stiles and Lydia stiffen up. Void's face then went into a hard and vicious scowl. "Divine Move? Divine Move?!" He started to advance for them. Stiles was still being held up by Lydia but he moved to try and be at the front as she tried to move them away. "You really think you had any moves at all? You can kill the Oni, but me? Me?! Not me. I'm a thousand years old. You can't kill me!" he roared. He then started to raise his hand to prepare to throw the foxfire at them. "But I can kill you!"

"And we can change you!" Lydia quickly spat back at him.

That made him freeze in motion. "What?"

"It's like I told you before, you're not as clever as you think you are," Stiles said smugly at him. "You forgot all about the scroll."

"The Shugendo scroll," Lydia smugly added.

Void's face fell a bit. "Change the host?"

"Can't be a fox and a wolf. Divine Move. You changed me, now we can change you," Stiles smirked at him.

Before Void could react, Scott came up behind him and grabbed at his arm with the fox fire and bit hard, right into it. Void screamed out in pain as he tried to break free but Scott kept his grip. The foxfire ready in his hand started to crackle wildly before it unceremoniously fizzled out into smoke as he started to feel his power begin to drain out of him. It was starting to change and he felt himself begin to feel weak. Then Scott let him go just before Kira came and thrust him with her sword. She then pulled it out and everyone started to move away as Void started to thrash around uncontrollably. Scott's red eyes let him see the Nogitsune's aura as the fox seemed to howl in pain until it just fizzled out. His grip on his body started to fade and he soon felt himself being pushed out by the rush of power from the sword. Out of his mouth went a fly, a minuscule form of the dark kitsune that had brought so much chaos, strife and pain. It tried to escape down the halls but was quickly scooped up into the triskele box by Isaac.

He then quickly capped the box with the lid and sealed it shut. "Who's not good enough now?" he spat to the fly in the box.

The body then fell into a kneeling position as it seemed to begin cracking as if it were plaster instead of flesh and blood. The cracks started to deepen and spread until it then fell to the floor and shatter into dust. The dust then blew over towards Stiles and it engulfed him for a moment as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He stayed like that for a moment before…he collapsed.

"Stiles!" Scott yelled.

Lydia quickly kneeled next to him and her eyes widened. "Guys, I don't think he's breathing."

"What? Why?!" Scott quickly puffed out at her.

"I don't know." Lydia then felt at his throat to feel his weakening pulse. "I think he's going into shock." She was starting to worry if Stiles getting his power back all at once might've been too much for him when he was in his weakened state.

"Wait, so it didn't work?" Kira gasped out.

Scott didn't want to believe that. Not after what they just went through. He focused his hearing and heard Stiles' heart still beating but it was starting to slow and fade. Deaton had said that when Scott changed the Nogitsune's body, the energy it stored would turn to that of a werewolf again and after Kira exorcised it, the energy would seek to go back to its home. The Nogitsune was gone, that should mean that the seal it placed on Stiles and his wolf was gone too.

"It had to," Lydia cried at Kira. "It had to save them."

"Them?" Scott mumbled. Scott's eyes then widened. That's right. Stiles wasn't the only victim here. His wolf was too. He remembered Lydia's words back at the clinic. She said that Stiles and his wolf needed each other. Scott had been trying to save just Stiles this whole time. When he howled in Stiles' mind, it had been to rescue Stiles only. He didn't think of his other half. The half that Stiles had been trying to get back. Scott realized that he couldn't save one without the other and had to bring it back as well.

Scott's red eyes burned bright and he then let out a hard howl. It echoed through the halls of Beacon Hills High and the sound vibrated into Stiles' ears. In a far corner of Stiles' mind stood that solid steel door with chains and beams sealing it up. Then the soundwaves of Scott's howl began to hit it with such force that the chains started to snap and the beams cracked apart. The waves of the howl started to put crushing pressure on the door and until it broke from its hinges and fell back revealing the darkness on the other side. There was then a soft growl heard from within.

A moment later, Stiles then gasped as he opened his eyes wide. Scott, Kira, Lydia and Isaac looked on and their own eyes widened when they saw Stiles staring back at them with glowing eyes. However, the glow his eyes were giving off weren't his old golden color. They were bright blue and looking over at each one of them.

"Did it work?" Stiles asked them.

Lydia and Kira were smiling widely down at him and even Isaac let a calming grin loose.

Scott, however, just nodded as he directed his eyes away. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Looks like."

Stiles took a deep breath as he felt himself starting to feel calmer than he'd felt in days. He then relaxed and the glow of his new eyes faded. "We're alive? We're all alive?"

Scott nodded as he turned to look back at his friend. "Yeah…I think we are."

But Lydia then narrowed her eyes and slowly started to stand up. She then looked over in the direction of the double doors leading outside. "No," she mumbled. "We're not."

* * *

In the hospital, Melissa McCall gasped to the shock and disbelief of Raphael. Her coloring seemed to come back and even her cut seemed to stop bleeding.

Alan Deaton started to pick himself up when he saw that the pain was gone and the infection from the Oni had disappeared. He smiled as he guessed that they must've succeeded.

Over at the Sheriff's station, the Sheriff and his deputies started to slowly pick themselves up. Parrish and the others seemed confused by what had just happened but the Sheriff let a small smile loose. He knew what must've happened and what it had to mean for his son.

* * *

Ethan was holding his brother in his arms as Derek was kneeling close by. Aiden was shaking in his brother's grip as blood was pouring out from his wound and had started to spill out from his lips too. Ethan was crying and Derek was trying to keep himself in check when they looked away from Aiden as Chris started approaching them. He was looking down at the three of them with a sorrowful look on his face.

"Ethan?" Aiden softly cried out making his brother look back at him and tighten his grip on him. "Does it hurt for you as much as it hurts me?"

Ethan tearfully nodded. "Oh yeah." He then moved to hug his brother without trying to hurt him anymore than he was.

Aiden pulled away a bit from him. "It's okay…Lydia never believed we were one of the good guys anyways," he said making Ethan laugh a bit though still was crying.

Derek lightly eyed them. "She'll believe me," he told them.

Aiden moved to look at him as he stared back unflinchingly. Aiden managed to nod at him before he felt his body get heavier. Ethan cried harder when he heard his brother's heart give out and they laid him out on the ground. A moment later, Lydia ran out into the courtyard and froze at the sight of everyone surrounding Aiden's body. Lydia then felt tears starting to fall down her cheeks. She had felt that Aiden was a cocky and narcissistic thug but he certainly didn't deserve to die. Stiles came up close to her and this time, it was him that held Lydia as she let herself cry into him. Stiles let his eyes fall on Aiden, another victim of the Nogitsune's sick game. Scott, Kira and Isaac walked over and quietly mourned for both Aiden and Ethan.

* * *

Mr and Mrs. Yukimura were in their living room, cleaning up the pieces of Go and put them and the board away. The game was finally over. All of their moves and planning and in the end, it was their daughter and her new friends that ended up winning the game. They couldn't be more proud of her.

* * *

Scott was sitting at home, not moving or saying anything. Now that the Nogitsune was gone, he was free to let the weight of everything that had happened hit him. Allison was gone, killed right in front of him and he hadn't been strong enough to save her. She had also told him that she loved him. He remembered that he said that he knew that they would be together in the end, and now that was impossible. She was gone for good. Her funeral had been the previous day and Scott hadn't left the house since it was over. His mother came over to him and then lightly pulled him into a hug. He then felt himself begin crying into her. She might not be able to take Scott's pain but she could be there to not let him deal with it alone.

* * *

Isaac had the triskele box in his hand as he was carrying a bag with the last of Allison's stuff inside. He gave her room one last look before he went and left. He stepped out of the building and moved down a few blocks where a SUV was waiting for him. Waiting inside was Chris Argent, who was currently running his fingers over a small box. Inside was a gift meant for Allison, an early birthday present that he made himself after he left her to do her ceremony before he got called away by Derek. After everything had happened, he was resolved to finish it, even though he now would never give it to her which he did during her funeral as he couldn't go to it. Since he was now a federal fugitive, it was too risky to even leave it at her grave but for now he was grateful to have it close. To be his own personal anchor. Chris had a lot to process in his life now. He lost his sister, his wife, his father and now his daughter. He now had lost everyone and he had to find out what to do with the rest of his life now. When Isaac arrived he remembered what he could do for the time being. He could see that the Nogitsune was put somewhere where it could never hurt anyone ever again and help give the boy a fresh start. Isaac dropped the bag and box in the back before he went and crawled into the passenger seat.

"Ready?" Chris asked him as soon as he was strapped in.

Isaac lightly nodded. "You?"

Chris answered by putting the car in drive and then moved to head off.

Isaac had told Scott's mom that he was leaving just the previous day after the funeral. Chris told him that he knew of a place overseas where they could bury and seal the box in and invited him along and Isaac quickly agreed. He felt there was nothing for him here in Beacon Hills now. He had nothing and no one left. Only bad memories and a past that he didn't want to be reminded of every day he walked the halls of the high school and the length of the town. He didn't even say goodbye to Scott or the others. He felt it would be easier on all of them that way. Hopefully he could find something for himself away from here.

The van drove off past the city limits and headed off for the interstate.

* * *

Ethan was choosing to leave Beacon Hills as well. But before he was leaving, he was going to say goodbye. To the one person that made this place worth remembering fondly.

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can stay," he told Danny when he met up with him at school.

Danny nodded but he smiled at him. "Actually, it's okay."

Ethan smiled at him in amusement. "You're breaking up with me?"

"Hey, I like you, a lot. You're incredibly good looking," he said making Ethan laugh a bit before he continued. "And smart and sweet and…I just don't think I can do it."

Ethan narrowed his eyes a bit. "Date me?"

"Date a werewolf," Danny told him.

Ethan's eyes widened a bit as he looked around to see that no one was listening to them. "You knew?" he asked him lightly.

Danny narrowed his eyes at him. "Dude, it's Beacon Hills," he said in a tone that made it out like it was obvious.

Ethan let a small laugh escape him. Saying it like that, yeah, it probably was obvious. He then moved to give Danny one last goodbye kiss.

* * *

The Sheriff moved through the halls of his home until he was standing right outside of Stiles' room. Stiles was currently at work clearing out all the papers and strings linking up everything about the Nogitsune and putting them all in a trash bin next to him. He took the time to let a small smile loose. Stiles was looking much better. His coloring was improving and he seemed to be growing stronger every day. Right now, he seemed practically normal. Well, as normal as being a teenage werewolf could be.

"Hey," he said drawing his son's attention. "What're you doing?"

Stiles shrugged as he threw the papers he was holding into the bin. "Ah, just clearing my head."

He nodded. "You feeling okay?" he asked.

Stiles took a moment to think to himself before he nodded. "I'm okay."

"All of you?" he asked.

"Okay, I guess. All things considered," Stiles shrugged.

So far, it looked like Stiles was back to being his old werewolf self. He was having trouble getting used to everything again, but everyone was telling him that it was probably normal. It would take time to getting used to being a werewolf again. Deaton seemed to agree though the two also privately talked about the fact that he wasn't a beast. He seemed to have regressed back to a normal beta werewolf again. Deaton supposed that what the Nogitsune did to his wolf must've taken a real toll. He said that there were some things that only time could heal and not even werewolves were exempt from them. The vet guessed that Stiles might still become a beast in time or perhaps not at all. Honestly…Stiles didn't know how to feel about that. For now, he was okay with just being okay.

The Sheriff nodded. "Okay." He then left Stiles to it.

Stiles let a sigh loose before he went to rip the last pieces of the Nogitsune's pattern away from his walls. He would have enough reminder of it already. He looked over at the mirror on the other side of his room and let himself shift his eyes to gaze upon the new cold blue ones that he had over his old warm gold ones. He sniffled a bit as a tear fell and he wiped it away before he blinked his blue eyes away.

The Sheriff went downstairs and turned the television on. He looked up at the ceiling as he hoped that the noise kept Stiles from hearing his phone. He then played the voicemail message from Raphael McCall again. As he listened to it again, it was clear that he must've seen the Nogitsune at the hospital when it looked like his son.

* * *

Kira met with Lydia at school to talk. With Allison, Isaac, Aiden and Ethan now gone, they really only had each other to talk to. Scott and Stiles weren't at school currently as they were still trying to deal with the wounds left behind by all of this.

"I wish I could say something to him. To both of them. I don't know how much time and space I'm supposed to give them. And I'm still just the new girl at school."

Lydia listened to Kira silently before she went to close her locker. She was about to say something when she heard Coach coming closer. And he wasn't alone. He had Malia Tate with him.

"You should run track. I mean you have excellent muscle definition."

"I sometimes run from cougars trying to eat me."

Coach shrugged at that. "I have the same problem."

Lydia kept her gaze on Malia as they got closer to them. "Not for long," she told Kira. Seemed that there was a new 'new girl' at school.

Malia caught sight of the two of them and gave them a soft look which Lydia and Kira returned. Lydia remembered what she and Allison found out, that Malia was Peter's daughter. She had a feeling that things were going to get complicated again, and soon.

Coach was oblivious to it though and kept talking. "Okay, we're going to start you off slow. You know, a few classes here and there. Don't worry, you'll learn fast."

"I intend to," Malia told him though she wasn't simply referring to school.

* * *

Malia was in Scott's room with him as Stiles was sitting on the bed. Scott was trying to teach her how to control herself and show her how to shift on command. Right now, they were teaching her the basics in retracting her claws. Scott made sure he had Malia's attention before he went and thrust his right hand down and had his claws emerge. Malia then went and thrust her own arm down harder than Scott did but nothing happened.

Scott smiled. "It's okay. Don't try to think about it too much. Just, try to let it happen."

Stiles nodded. "Don't worry Malia, I'm having trouble getting used to all of this again. Sometimes I'm having trouble getting myself to shift when I want to. When I do, I just stop, close my eyes," Which he did. "Take a deep breath." He then visibly took a deep breath in front of them. "Then-" Stiles raised his clenched hand and then thrust his fingers out lightly and claws then appeared on his fingertips.

Scott nodded at the sight of them. "See? Just relax. Don't try and force it."

Malia nodded. She relaxed, took a deep breath and then thrust her arm down, a little lighter than before and opened her eyes to see that there were claws at the end of her fingers. Her face brightened at them and she quickly moved to show them to Stiles but she nearly scratched him at his face.

"Hey, watch it with those," he cried as he back away into the bed.

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized but was still smiling as she looked at her claws.

Stiles calmly smiled at her before he looked over at Scott. His friend gave him a light grin in return and though he could somewhat tell the small smile was genuine, it didn't seem to quite reach his eyes.

* * *

Scott worked over at the animal clinic as he was straightening out the work space when Deaton came over to him.

"You ever heard the term, Regression to the Mean?" Deaton asked him.

Scott shook his head. "No."

"It's a bit of a technical way of saying that things will always even out."

"Like things will always get better?" he asked doubtfully.

"Uh, more like things can't always be bad."

"So…no matter how bad things get-"

"Or how good," Deaton cut in.

"They always come back to the middle," Scott finished.

"Regression to the Mean."

Scott then let a small smile creep on him. "I'm not so sure that applies to a town like this."

That got Deaton to chuckle a bit before he sobered. "You might be right."

But Scott let himself stop and wonder. He wanted Deaton to be right, because things had been pretty bad for a good while and it would be nice for them to start leaning towards getting better now. But, if Scott was right, then would that mean that they won't get better at all from this.

* * *

Derek was sitting in the locker room at the school with Stiles standing off to the side as he listened to him. Derek knew that if anyone could help him understand and figure this out, it would be him, especially with all he had been through.

"It was a dream, actually it was more like a nightmare," Derek told him.

Stiles nodded. "Okay, what happened?" he asked softly.

"It started with these hunters that caught Peter and me, after we left Cora somewhere where she would be safe. It was a family of them, led by a man named Severo. They broke into my loft." Derek's mind went back to his dream.

 _Derek was thrown back onto his table but he managed to recover himself as three hunters started to pace towards him. They had their guns aimed right at him._

" _Now my friend," Severo said as he cocked his gun. "You want to tell us about La Loba? Where's the she wolf?"_

 _Derek the blood that leaked from his cut lip and spit some out, in their direction. "You should just go right on ahead and kill me. Because, you're never going to find Cora or her child," he said in smug defiance._

 _But the reaction wasn't what he expected. The hunter didn't laugh or even get angry and impatient with him. He became confused. "Cora?" he asked easing himself up. "Who in the hell is Cora?"_

 _Derek barely had a moment to share in his confusion before a smoke grenade was thrown into the loft. Everyone started to panic and look around the one who threw it. Then, a hard growl sounded through the loft but it didn't come from Derek. One of the hunters was taken down and that made the others just begin firing about. The unknown assailant moved through each one of them until only Derek was left. Derek heard a shotgun clicking and barely caught a glimpse of a barrel poking out from the smoke, pointing at him, before it fired._

"What was it?" Stiles asked him.

Derek let a small sigh loose. "There's a lot of myths about how someone could be turned into a werewolf. The most common one is a bite. Then there's one about rainwater."

Stiles folded his arms. "Drinking rainwater from the paw of a werewolf's print," Stiles said expertly with a nod.

Derek gave him a small look before he looked back to his feet. "There's another." He then thought about the myth of people being turned by a scratch from an Alpha though only if the claws go deep enough. He couldn't say it out loud though.

Stiles then moved to sit across from him. "Derek, if this is all just a dream then why are you so worried?"

Derek started shaking as he looked back at him. "Because I don't remember waking up." That made Stiles' eyes harden. "So, tell me, how do you know? How do you know if you're still dreaming?"

"Fingers," Stiles mumbled. "In dreams you have extra fingers."

Derek then lifted Stiles hand up and he saw that his hand had extra fingers. Derek then realized that before, it wasn't a dream. _This_ was the dream. He then found himself back in the loft, falling to his knees from the pain of getting shot in the stomach.

"It's real," he painfully gasped out. He then looked over at his shooter as she was coming out of the smoke. "You're real," he gasped out in a mix of shock and fear.

Kate Argent then fully emerged from the smoke with a small smile on her face. "That's right Derek. But, if seeing me is a surprise, watch this."

Before his eyes, Kate's face shifted out into what seemed to be some kind of feline shapeshifter. Her green eyes flared and she let a hard growl escape from her fanged mouth.

* * *

A/N: Well, this story is now concluded. The next story in the series is currently unnamed but you could help by going to vote on the poll set up in my profile.


End file.
